Esquerra demands a monthly appearance by the Spanish government before Congress and Senate to report on the application of the Council of Europe Resolution

Esquerra Republicana has set several initiatives under way to scrutinize compliance with the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly Resolution 2381 (2021). This is the so-called Cilevičs report—Should politicians be prosecuted for statements made in the exercise of their mandate?—approved on the 21st of June 2021, in which the Council of Europe concedes that imprisoned pro-independence leaders were in fact political prisoners; it calls on Spain to reform the Penal Code, specifically the crimes of rebellion and sedition; it acknowledges that there was no violence on the part of the public during the 1st October 2017 referendum; and it proposes the path of dialogue and democratic resolution.

Esquerra has firstly submitted a Non-Legislative Motion before the Spanish Congress which requires that the Spanish government submit a report on compliance with the Resolution, as well as a monthly appearance to inform on its implementation. This initiative has likewise been introduced before Spain’s Senate in a Motion, which also requires a monthly appearance before that chamber.

If Spain wants to be considered a democratic state in line with the other members of the Council of Europe, Spain must comply with this Resolution

Laura Castel Senator of Esquerra Republicana

Secondly, the Esquerra Republicana group in the Senate has requested the creation of a Special Commission to monitor and advance compliance with Resolution 2381 (2021) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The initiative has received the support of 25 members of EHBildu, Junts per Catalunya, the Basque group (EAJ-PNV) and Izquierda Confederal.

Esquerra’s senator Laura Castel, the only pro-independence member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, has led the initiative in the Spanish Parliament. She points out that “Spain, like all members of the Council of Europe, is subject to several surveillance and accountability procedures.” She added that “the Council of Europe is the international organization that scrutinises the exercise of rule of law, democracy and human rights in Europe,” concluding that “if Spain wants to be considered a democratic state in line with the other members of the Council of Europe, Spain must comply with this Resolution.”