Pro-independence parties present motion against prosecution of Catalan Parliament President

The cross-party coalition 'Junts pel Sí' (JxSí) and the pro-independence radical-left CUP entered in the Catalan Parliament’s register a motion to defend the Parliament’s President, Carme Forcadell. The representative is facing criminal liability for allegedly disobeying Spanish Constitutional Court (TC) rulings and allowing the pro-independence roadmap to be put to vote on the 27th of July. According to the text presented by the pro-independence parties, the prosecution of Forcadell “for any parliamentary action flagrantly infringes upon parliamentary inviolability”. Furthermore, the proposal highlights that the criminalisation of parliamentary activity “poses a serious threat to democracy”. The motion was entered into the Parliament’s register on Monday as an urgent extraordinary request and with the express request to debate it in a plenary session. The text also aims at defending “the freedom of expression and the right of initiative of the members of the Catalan Parliament”.

The President of the Catalan Parliament, Carme Forcadell, on the 30th of November 2016 (by ACN)
The President of the Catalan Parliament, Carme Forcadell, on the 30th of November 2016 (by ACN) / ACN

ACN

December 6, 2016 02:26 PM

Barcelona (CNA).- Catalan pro-independence political forces, the cross-party coalition 'Junts pel Sí' (JxSí) and the radical-left CUP, registered in the Catalan Parliament a motion in defence of “the freedom of expression and the right of initiative of the members of the Catalan Parliament”. The text expresses the “commitment to preserve” these rights “through all the governing bodies”. The proposal was entered into the Parliament’s register on Monday as an urgent extraordinary request and with the express request to debate it in a plenary session. The motion comes after the opening of a criminal case against the Parliament’s President, Carme Forcadell, at the request of the State Attorney General, for allegedly disobeying and perverting the course of justice by allowing the pro-independence roadmap to be put to vote on the 27th of July. The prosecution of Forcadell “for any parliamentary action flagrantly infringes upon parliamentary inviolability”, claims the text.


In this regard, the draft resolution stresses that the law “does not allow to attribute to the presidency of the Parliament the obligation to inhibit or prevent MPs’ free expression of their views or their votes”. The initiative, hence, is the parliamentary response from the pro-independence forces to claim that the political parties and MPs must be able to debate about everything and propose any topic of discussion to the political institution.

In addition, the text notes that the prosecution of Forcadell “for any parliamentary action flagrantly infringes upon parliamentary inviolability”. Furthermore, it stresses that the criminalisation of parliamentary activity “poses a serious threat to democracy”. Finally, the proposal reaffirms that “freedom of expression and the right of initiative of MPs in the exercising of their parliamentary activity cannot be violated” and that the parliament “expresses its commitment to preserve” these rights “through all its governing bodies”.