Spanish parliament approves amnesty for Catalan separatists

Spain's lower house of parliament on Thursday approved an amnesty bill for Catalan separatists, clearing a major hurdle for a law set to define Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's second term - and one that has led to protests and annoyed judges, Report informs citing Reuters.

The approval, by 178-172 votes, is good news for Sanchez after several political setbacks including a COVID face-mask scandal in recent weeks.

The legislation must still be cleared by the conservative-dominated Senate and the conservative People's Party has said it will try to block it.

But any upper house veto could later be overridden by the lower house in a final vote around May or June.

The socialist-led minority coalition government hopes that securing consensus on the controversial bill will help cement its alliance with the small parties it relies on to get legislation passed.

Nonetheless, it decided on Wednesday not to send an already delayed 2024 budget bill to parliament after Catalonia unexpectedly called an election for May 12, amid fears the regional political dispute that prompted that move could spill over to the national congress and hurt its own support.

The bill uses a broader European definition of terrorism with the intention of ensuring those involved can still be covered by the amnesty even if found guilty in Spain.

Junts and some socialists say the prosecution is being led by conservative judges seeking to block the amnesty and spoil an improved relationship between the national government and Catalonia.

The bill's latest version defines terrorism by a 2017 EU directive, meaning it would have to have caused serious human rights violations, something that does not appear to have happened in the case facing Puigdemont.

Junts' officials say it should benefit an additional 150-200 people, and 1,500 people overall, depending on judges' interpretations.

The bill will cover all events related to Catalonia's separatist drive from 2011, including an independence referendum in 2017 which was declared illegal by courts.