S&D vice-president calls for the release of “political prisoners”

The vice president of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament, Tanja Fajon, called for the release of "political prisoners" in Catalonia and said she regretted the attitude of the Spanish government. In an interview with the ACN, the head of the S&D in Slovenia said that "it is difficult" to accept that “members of a government that have tried to express their will in a peaceful way are jailed”.

The MEP urged the European institutions to get involved in promoting dialogue between Catalonia and Spain. Fajon pointed out that the Catalan question is a "European affair" because it’s about the “respect for human rights and fundamental rights."

Fajon “blames” Rajoy for the Catalan crisis

According to Fajón, if there is someone to "blame" for the Catalan crisis, it’s the president of the Spanish government, Mariano Rajoy, and his “lack“ of willingness to open a dialogue. The MEP pointed out that "many steps have led” to the current situation and said that “political repression and arrests are not in any way a democratic attitude." She added that she’s following what’s happening in Catalonia "with great concern”.

Fajon pointed out that in Slovenia they “discussed first that every nation had the right to self-determination and that no one could deny this right." The S&D MEP stated that she doesn’t question “the legality” of the Spanish constitution, but also highlighted that nations have the right to decide "their own future”.