THE Catalan National Assembly has announced widespread support for the country’s right to choose its own future, as its manifesto was signed by 116 notable figures from 20 countries.
The signatories call for an end to Spanish repression and the right to have freedom of choice.
The signatories include members of the European Parliament, academics, activists and social and human rights organisations.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Adolfo Perez Esquivel from Argentina is one of the signatories, as is the former president of Honduras Manuel Zelaya (below), followed by the president of Sinn Fein Mary Lou McDonald, the former leader of Bloco de Esquerda and historian Fernando Rosas, UK MP and president of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Catalonia Hywel Williams, and the former vice president of the European Parliament Jose Pacheco-Pereira.
Organisations which have also signed the letter are Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, the European Language Equality Network (ELEN), the Szekler National Council and various other associations.
The manifesto from the Catalan National Assembly “denounces the judicial persecution to which elected political leaders and Catalan activists are being subjected for their participation in the organization of the independence referendum of October 1, 2017, as well as the victims of repression at the hands of the Spanish authorities in the time since then, especially during the protests against the October 2019 sentences”.
The announcement highlights the opinion of the UN’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which called on the immediate release for any Catalan political prisoners. The opinion of the group at the time in 2019 also acknowledged the lack of respect for the presumption of innocence of the prisoners and the lack of competence of the Spanish Supreme Court to try them, as well as other human rights violations that occurred during the trial.
The Catalan National Assembly has said that by signing the manifesto, the signatories “denounce ‘the criminalisation of the political will of the people of Catalonia by the Spanish State, which does not cease, and which has led to the prosecution of nearly 3300 people’ as well as ‘violations of fundamental rights such as the right to freedom of expression, freedom of association, freedom of assembly and to political representation’, as has already been condemned by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, member states of the UN ... and non-governmental organizations such as Amnesty International and the World Organisation Against Torture”.
The text also demonstrates that the most recent elections of February 14 this year showed a “historic” pro-independence majority win in parliament, and this means a referendum should be held as it’s “the will of the Catalan people to become an independent state”.
It also touches on the international community and how it can no longer “turn a blind eye and remain impassive”.
The announcement concludes that above all, the signatories and the Catalan people want “respect for the fundamental rights of the victims of Spanish abuse, the release of prisoners ... and respect and recognition of the right to self-determination”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here