Catalonia lawmakers to push amnesty bill through Spain's Congress
Kusai Kedri
Press TV, Barcelona
The Parliament of Catalonia Friday approved an amnesty bill for the region's jailed leaders and the thousands of pro-independence supporters who are facing legal action for taking part in Catalonia's independence drive.
The bill which upholds amnesty and the right to self-determination as prerequisites to end the conflict was backed by lawmakers from the three separatist parties, who plan to push it through Spain's Congress next March.
Although lawmakers are aware that the bill has no chance of passing the floor of Congress in Madrid, they went on with it. Gerard Artigas, a parliamentary reporter explains some of the reasons behind their move.
Pro-Spanish unity parties in Catalonia's parliament vetoed the bill and dismissed the separatists' claim of Spanish State repression in the north eastern region.
Over the past three years, Human rights NGO Amnesty International has repeatedly called on Spain to release two of the nine jailed Catalan leaders who have been sentenced for 9 years for "sedition", a crime the NGO described as "vague" and "against the principle of legality".
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