Esquerra Republicana leader Oriol Junqueras applauds Friday’s ruling by the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission endorsing the Amnesty Bill. Esquerra has defended this for the last four years as the first step towards resolving the conflict with Spain. “Their finding coincides to the letter with everything we have long defended,” Mr Junqueras pointed out.

“That is why we feel rightfully justified and have the duty to remind everyone that, beyond short-term tactics, there are great goals that the country deserves to achieve, and we must not miss any opportunity once again to call for the responsibility of all parties in passing this amnesty bill,” he insisted during his opening speech before Esquerra’s National Council. Indeed, Mr Junqueras considers that the European body's endorsement of the law represents fresh proof of the need for the law and the broad consensus there is to move forward.

The news comes two days after the Supreme Court decided to investigate former Catalan president and now MEP Carles Puigdemont, and the Member of the Catalan Parliament for Esquerra, Ruben Wagensberg, for terrorism in the case of the Tsunami Democràtic protests. In this regard, Mr Junqueras called everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to put an end to the ongoing cases of persecution and repression of the independence movement. “They are unfounded accusations, and we will end up winning the cases,” he said.

In this context, Mr Junqueras asked that “justice be put forth” where the judicial elite offers “injustice.” “It is quite clear once again that a part of the top Spanish judiciary decided long ago that it did not want to dispense justice but rather to play politics; that is why we, the majority in this country, must try to do justice through politics,” he affirmed, recalling that Esquerra has long defended an amnesty law single-handedly. “Now that we have come within touching distance, and that we continue having it within touching distance, we mean to make this bill pass,” he determined.