The Catalan National Assembly has taken part in the 2022 edition of the OSCE Human Dimension Conference in Warsaw, focused on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms, to denounce Spain’s lawfare strategy aimed at repressing the Catalan democratic pro-independence movement.
The Catalan National Assembly has taken part on the 27th and 28th of September in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Human Rights Dimension Conference focused on the defence of human rights and democracy, which is taking place in Warsaw, Poland. The meeting brings together international organizations, governments, and civil society organizations to contribute to the protection and promotion of human rights in Europe.
Assemblea’s board member Jordi Vilanova took the floor during the first session of the conference and raised topics such as repression, the political persecution of Catalan representatives and activists, the Catalangate espionage scandal, and Spain’s violation of human rights.
With a focus on Democratic Institutions, during the session he denounced the fact that since the Catalan independence referendum in 2017, Spain has unfolded an unprecedented wave of repression. Catalan political representatives, public officers, and activists have suffered this, as well as the civil society. “Since 2017, more than 3,000 people have been jailed, fined, prosecuted, barred from office, or are still waiting for trial”, he denounced.
The Assemblea representative stressed that institutions of the European Union have also been affected by Spain’s repression against Catalans, as the exiled Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and other MEPs have seen their parliamentary rights and immunity violated. “The United Nations Human Rights Committee denounced that Spain violated the political rights under Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of four Catalan Parliament members by suspending them in 2018 from public duties before their conviction”, he added.
Finally, Jordi Vilanova called on the OSCE authorities, and especially the OSCE Commissioner on National Minorities, to visit Catalonia in order to report on the situation there, and take measures to ensure that the Spanish authorities cease their political persecution of Catalan political representatives and activists.
Assemblea regularly takes part in the meetings of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on human rights, where its representatives make oral statements, as well as submit written statements to denounce violations of rights by Spanish institutions against the people of Catalonia.