Catalan Pro-Independence Leaders Are Released From Jail

On Wednesday, Spain's Supreme Court ordered the release of nine Catalan pro-independence leaders who had been imprisoned for more than three years.

RELATED:

Spain Prime Minister to Pardon Catalonia Independentists

Catalan regional government's former Vice President Oriol Junqueras and his comrades left prison waving a pro-independence flag and carrying a banner reading "Freedom for Catalonia."

On Monday, they received a pardon from Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who reduced sentences that would have kept them up to 13 years in prison because of their support for the secessionist referendum held in October 2017.

However, the pardons are individual, partial, and reversible if the Catalan leaders commit "a serious crime" again. Although they will no longer be imprisoned, the nine activists will not be able to hold public office or work in public institutions.

Right-wing parties harshly criticized the pardon granted to the Catalan political prisoners. However, Sanchez justified their release by arguing “public utility” reasons and the need to re-establish concord between Spaniards and Catalans.

“These pardons directly benefit nine people, but the Spanish government is thinking of the hundreds of thousands of Catalans who have sympathy for those in prison,” Spain's Prime Minister said on Tuesday. 

In a similar vein, Catalonia's President Pere Aragones stressed that the pardons are an important step towards peace but are not enough to resolve the political conflict between Spaniards and Catalans.

Therefore, he urged Spain to offer amnesty to hundreds of pro-independence activists who are imprisoned, living in exile, or facing political persecution.