the-newsmakers

Will Spain Rethink Its Proposal to Pardon Catalan Separatist Leaders?

The Spanish government has proposed an offer to pardon the jailed Catalan separatist leaders behind the failed independence bid in 2017. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the move will promote coexistence. About 25,000 protestors gathered along with leaders of the opposition Popular Party (PP) and the far-right Vox party to denounce the government’s decision. The Prime Minister is accused of making the pardons to appease the separatist parties which support his government. Spain’s Supreme Court has also opposed the Prime Minister’s move saying it saw “no evidence or indication of remorse” from the prisoners to justify the pardons. Will the pardons be granted? If so, what will this move mean to Spain and Catalonia? Guests: Andrew Dowling Author of “The Rise of Catalan Independence: Spain’s Territorial Crisis” Ivan Espinosa de los Monteros Member of Vox National Bureau Carlos Conde Solares Senior Lecturer in Hispanic Studies at Northumbria University

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