Spain pardons Catalan separatists

WHEN NINE Catalan separatist leaders walked out of jail on June 23rd after three-and-a-half years inside it was a moment of jubilation for their supporters and of dismay for many others, but perhaps also of modest hope. The previous day the government of Pedro Sánchez, the Socialist prime minister, had granted them pardons, commuting sentences of up to 13 years imposed by the Supreme Court for sedition and maladministration. Their crime had been to organise a referendum in 2017 as regional officials, despite orders not to from the courts, and then to declare Catalonia’s independence. The pardons are intended to ease tensions and open the way to talks to end a conflict that has dogged Spain for over a decade.The pardons are “in the public interest”, the government argues. They are conditional on not breaking the law again, and do not revoke a ban on holding public office that runs for the same period as the original sentences. For now, at least, the government is not dropping charges against Carles Puigdemont, the former Catalan president who instigated the referendum, and four fellow fugitives who face arrest if they return to Spain.