The former Speaker and the former Fourth Secretary of the Parliament, Roger Torrent and Adriana Delgado, denounce that “restricting parliamentary business is an attack on democracy,” and they demand that the conflict be returned to the political arena
“We will continue to defend that the Parliament of Catalonia should be able to discuss anything. That Parliament should not be allowed to debate what the citizens of this country want is the last straw.” That was what former Speaker of Parliament, now Minister of Business and Labour, Roger Torrent expressed before the Court of Justice in Catalonia, where the trial of the last Parliamentary Bureau began on Tuesday.
At the hearing, which is to last three days, the former Bureau’s Fourth Secretary Adriana Delgado, who is now the mayor of Sant Vicenç de Castellet, the Deputy Speaker Josep Costa and the First Secretary Eusebi Campdepadrós, will also be on trial. They are accused of contempt of the Constitutional Court for having allowed the passage and debate on two proposed resolutions on the monarchy and self-determination in 2019.
The Spanish high court considered that the texts promoted the independence of Catalonia and warned them that it considered their “duty to prevent or paralyse any parliamentary initiative” in favour of the independence process. However, the Bureau, which was also warned by the Chamber’s counsel, went ahead with the proceedings. The Prosecutor’s Office is now asking for disqualification of a year and eight months and a fine of 30,000 euros for Mr Torrent, while Ms Delgado faces one year and four months disqualification and a 24,000 euro fine.
“This trial is absolute nonsense, another example of the repression and persecution of a legitimate, peaceful and democratic political movement,” Mr Torrent denounced, while adding that “it cannot be that precisely the chief institution for deliberation cannot welcome debates to discuss self-determination, the monarchy, and anything that may concern the majority of the Catalan people.”
In the same vein, Adriana Delgado said that they would not tire of repeating that in Parliament “everything must be discussed” because it is “the seat of the Catalan people’s sovereignty.” “The intent to condition and curtail parliamentary business is an attack on democracy and fundamental rights such as free speech and political representation and participation,” she censured. “We need to work against the judicialization of politics, to return politics where it belongs. And we will also always work for amnesty, for freedom and for independence,” she said.
The former Speaker of the Parliament and the former Fourth Secretary arrived at the doors of the High Court of Justice in Catalonia accompanied by the President of Esquerra Republicana Oriol Junqueras, Deputy General Secretary Marta Vilalta, and another former Speaker of Parliament, Carme Forcadell. Once there, they met other leaders of Esquerra, including the first Deputy Speaker of the chamber Alba Vergés, the Deputy Spokesperson of the parliamentary group Meritxell Serret, Ministers Laura Vilagrà, Teresa Jordà, Josep Gonzàlez-Cambray and Tània Verge, and the Deputy and Deputy General Secretary for Feminisms, Raquel Sans.
