At an official reception at the Generalitat Palace hosted by President Aragonès, Esquerra Republicana Secretary General Marta Rovira acknowledges the government's efforts to put an end to repression

Esquerra Republicana Secretary General Marta Rovira praised the task of the Esquerra government both for ending the repression and for pushing for the resolution of the political conflict at an institutional reception held at the Palau de la Generalitat –the seat of the Catalan government– in honour of Ms Rovira and the other political exiles that have returned with her from Switzerland: “thank you for your effort in restoring democracy and the civil and political rights where they should never have left.”

Ms Rovira thanked the government for taking the path to the resolution of the political conflict, highlighting the following milestones: “First came the pardons, then we reformed the Penal Code. It is at last time for the Amnesty Act.” The secretary general thus stressed that “we need to be able to talk about a referendum, about the option of independence. It is not a crime.”

In turn, President Pere Aragonès affirmed that “the Tsunami case had fundamental defects because it was driven by an absolutely repressive political determination.” In his speech, the president stated that “this legislature may be characterized in many ways, but it is above all the end of repression.”

Finally, Mr Aragonès stressed that the amnesty “is a great victory for the country, but it is by no means the end, nor is it the last” and that “it must lead to ending repression and be a turning point in resolving the political conflict between Catalonia and the Spanish state on sovereignty.”

The institutional reception hosted by President Aragonès was also attended by the Member of the Catalan Parliament Ruben Wagensberg and Vice President of the Òmnium Cultural association Oleguer Serra, together with the Vice President of the Catalan government Laura Vilagrà.

Ms Vilagrà pointed out that “the march towards resolution of the political conflict is unstoppable,” while Mr Wagensberg highlighted the importance of having a network that accompanied him during exile and “what inclusive citizenship means for those who are forced to leave their country”. For his part, Mr Serra vowed that “nothing is finished, we will continue with our activism, we will go on fighting.”