The Arrecife plenary session approved this Friday "to reject any type of amnesty or generalized pardon not individualized for any Spanish citizen, whatever their crime", with the support of the PP, CC groups, and the votes of the Mixed group, made up of two Vox councilors. However, the PSOE voted against this motion presented by the PP.
The spokesperson for the Popular group in the City Council, Eli Merino Betancort, highlighted during the presentation of this motion that "in a consolidated European democracy, such as the Spanish one, in this 2023, an amnesty violates some of the basic principles of the Rule of Law, such as the exclusivity of the judicial power to judge and execute what has been judged, equality in the application of the law and legal certainty. Neither the legislator nor the executive power can arrogate the power to declare a group of people immune, erase their crimes and even prevent them from being judged like any other citizen".
All this also, while the "Court of Justice of the EU as the European Court of Human Rights have pending resolutions referring to the issue, on which the possible amnesty is raised and that affect Spain", he communicated.
During the plenary session, of an ordinary nature, the PP spokesperson recalled that "in 2017 there was an attempted insurrection by the public powers of Catalonia against the Constitutional order. The reaction of the Rule of Law was the application of article 155 of the Constitution and the implementation of criminal instruments against its promoters. The Supreme Court sentenced its main leaders to penalties of between nine and thirteen years for sedition and embezzlement. Some of its main leaders fled abroad". "Since then they have been trying to avoid the action of the Spanish and European Courts".
He added that "he was not the only one who did it. On September 5, Puigdemont conditioned the governability of Spain to, among other issues, the approval of an 'Amnesty Law' that favors, among others, those accused of the illegal referendum of 2017, sometimes for acts of extreme violence. It is not the first time that this issue has been raised. Already in 2021 an initiative of these characteristics was registered in Congress and the Lawyers issued a forceful report against its processing".
In addition, Merino highlighted that "the price of the presidency would not only be to exonerate hundreds of crimes but to delegitimize the Rule of Law and whitewash and consider the legitimacy of the sedition that was carried out. In short, an unacceptable political price for any decent ruler and that the lack of explicit and forceful rejection by the Government is causing a deep social commotion ".
After submitting this motion to debate, the plenary session of the Arrecife City Council, with the favorable votes of the PP, CC and mixed groups (made up of Vox councilors), and the rejection of the socialist group, has approved:
1. Reject any type of amnesty or generalized pardon for any group of citizens, whatever their crime.
2. Consider that the rule of law is the expression of the popular will, as established in the preamble of the Constitution, and commits all powers to its fulfillment.
3. Encourage the two majority parties to seek state agreements that prevent Spanish society from being subjected to the illegal conditions of independentist parties.
4. Forward these agreements to the Presidency of the Government, to the First Vice-Presidency and Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, to the Second Vice-Presidency and Ministry of Labor and Social Economy, to the Ministry of Territorial Policy, and to the parliamentary spokespersons in Congress and the Senate; as well as to the Governing Board of the FEMP.
