Spain's Parliament Rejects Amnesty Bill for Catalan Separatists

The Spanish congress has rejected a controversial amnesty law proposed by the government due to legal concerns. The bill, introduced by Socialist Pedro Sánchez's administration, aimed to provide amnesty to Catalan nationalists involved in separatist activities and the failed 2017 independence bid. The law faced opposition from various nationalist parties, including the Together for Catalonia (JxCat) party led by former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont. Despite initially appearing to have enough support, JxCat voted against the law, citing perceived judicial interference. The conservative People's Party (PP) and far-right Vox also voted against the bill. As a result, the law fell short of the majority it needed to pass. The bill will now be revisited by a parliamentary commission before being resubmitted for approval. It also requires consent from the Senate before it can be implemented. The rejection of the amnesty law comes after reports suggested potential terrorist charges against Puigdemont, which threatened his eligibility for amnesty. The Socialist party made amendments to include those involved in terrorist crimes that did not violate human rights, but concerns about human rights violations tied to a pro-independence activist group complicated matters. The rejection of further amendments requested by JxCat led to tension within the nationalist coalition. Critics argue that the amnesty law is unconstitutional and accuse Sánchez of pushing it to secure backing from the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) and JxCat parties.