Parliament demands ‘immediate’ release of jailed Catalan leaders

In the plenary session on Friday May 4, the Catalan parliament passed a resolution demanding the “immediate” release of pro-independence leaders imprisoned in Madrid and conditions “so that those in exile may come back.”

The motion was put forth by the pro-independence Esquerra Republicana (ERC) party, and received the support of forces for a Catalan state Junts per Cataunya (JxCat) and CUP, as well as the party positioning itself as in-between-blocs, Catalunya en Comú-Podem (CatECP). Meanwhile, it was voted against by unionist parties Ciutadans (C’s), Socialists (PSC) and People’s Party (PPC).

CUP demands acknowledgement of referendum

Another motion, one that pushes to urgently regain Catalan institutions and end the “imposition” of Article 155, the Spanish constitutional the measure which seized self-government in Catalonia was approved with the votes of JxCat, ERC and CatECP. It was however voted against by far-left pro-independence CUP for not referencing the October 1 independence referendum or its objective. “The right to self-determination is inalienable, and you have, in this text, renounced it,” commented CUP MP Natàlia Sànchez, to ERC.

The approved text denounces “the permanent violation” of the fundamental civil and political rights of Catalan citizens, institutions, and its democratically elected representatives. The document further defends rights detailed in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the European Convention on Human Rights, which the party claims are “currently being violated […] in Catalonia.”

A firm commitment to freedom and non-violence

The motion also includes a “firm commitment” to freedom of expression, the right to protest, freedom of assembly, participation and association, as well as nonviolent struggle. Unanimously, it also defends acts and political claims through “democratic and peaceful ways, rejecting all and any expression of violence that may take place.”

Furthermore, the document additionally denounces the “abuse and disproportion of police actions and administrative and criminal accusations, in order to pursue and criminalize political dissidence” and criticizes “legal interference” to prevent the normal functioning of parliament. It also acknowledges individuals who, according to the text, are “suffering the consequences” of Article 155, and supports the legal and institutional initiatives promoted by the speaker of the parliament, Roger Torrent.