The Spanish government continues to reject the right to self-determination of the Catalan people, despite having signed and ratified the Charter of the UN and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

On 1 October 2017, Catalonia held a democratic and binding independence referendum that was deemed illegal by the Spanish authorities. International organisations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Council of Europe denounced the excessive use of police force against peaceful voters. The referendum was followed by the imprisonment or prosecution of Catalan political representatives, civil society leaders, public officials and activists. In total, more than 4,000 people were retaliated against in Catalonia, and seven Catalan representatives had to flee into exile. There has been no condemnation, however, for the Spanish police’s brutal use of force.

In 2022, the UN Human Rights Committee denounced that Spain had violated the political rights of four former Catalan Parliament members under Art. 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as they had been suspended from public duties before their conviction. In 2023, three UN Special Rapporteurs raised concerns over the espionage against pro-independence Catalan leaders and activists, demanding an explanation from Spain. They highlighted that the espionage victims had not engaged in violent activities and that their rights to freedom of expression and of assembly had been neglected.