Spain Pardons 9 Catalan Separatists

Spain on Tuesday pardoned all nine separatist leaders who had been imprisoned for their role in Catalonia's failed 2017 independence bid in a gesture the government hope will foster dialogue to keep the region part of Spain and deflating its push for self-determination. 

The politicians and activists were sentenced in 2019 to between nine and 13 years for sedition and misuse of public funds – after a referendum on a breakaway that courts banned but which led to a short-lived declaration of independence, triggering Spain's worst political crisis in decades. 

"With this act we want to open a new phase of dialogue, of reconciliation, and to stop, once and for all, all the divisions and confrontation", Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (left) said in a televised address. 

Catalonia's separatist head of government Pere Aragones (right) said the pardons were a first step on "the path of negotiation and agreement", while reaffirming his view that Madrid should allow an internationally-recognized referendum. 

Shortly after, the central government reiterated their opposition to any such vote. 

Note: The pardons are conditional though, and a ban on the leaders holding public office remains in place. 

One of the nine leaders reacted defiantly to news of the pardons. Raul Romeva (left), who as Catalonia's foreign affairs chief in 2017 was sentenced to 12 years, vowed: "We won't give up the fight!” 

Surveys indicate that a majority of Spaniards oppose the pardons. Sanchez is betting they will eventually weaken the pro-independence drive in the wealthy northeastern region. 

In Catalonia, some praised the pardons but said they were not enough. 

Lluis Orriols, political science professor at Carlos III University in Madrid, said Sanchez's high-stakes decision was well-timed, after the nine spent three years behind bars in what the public will likely see as fair punishment, and expected upcoming talks to at least deflate tensions with Catalonia.