Carles Puigdemont asks Supreme Court to grant him amnesty in Tsunami Democràtic case

Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has asked Spain's Supreme Court to grant him amnesty in the Tsunami Democràtic case. 

Tsunami Democratic was a Catalan pro-independence activist group responsible for organizing massive demonstrations after pro-independence movement leaders were imprisoned in 2019. 

The judge is seeking terrorism charges against the organizers, including Puigdemont and many other pro-independence leaders, arguing that the organization aimed to "subvert Spain's constitutional order." 

The text by Puigdemont's defense states that the investigated actions "do not exceed the legitimate exercise of the right to protest" and cannot be considered terrorism, which would be excluded from the amnesty law. 

"Pretending something different about facts that are public and notorious is nothing more than criminalizing the exercise of fundamental rights," the text reads. 

The interpretation of the defense follows the European Council recommendation to "abstain from comparing protesters to terrorists as it would banalize the concept of terrorism." 

Puigdemont's defense argues that the protests did not involve intentional violations of human rights.  

During a blockade of Barcelona's airport organized by Tsunami Democratic, a French tourist died, an incident that the defense considers "has no relation" to the protest and "cannot be qualified as intentional." 

In another case, the Supreme Court decided on Monday not to grant amnesty to Puigdemont over misuse of public funds during the 2017 Catalan independence referendum.