Aragon to 'immediately request' forced execution of ruling on Sixena murals

The government of Aragon will "immediately" request the forced execution of a Spanish Supreme Court ruling that obliges the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) to hand over the Sixena mural paintings.

The announcement was made on Tuesday by the president of the region, Jorge Azcón, following MNAC’s statement to the Aragon court on Monday that it was "technically unable" to move the Romanesque-era artworks.

Azcón accused both the Catalan government and the MNAC of having "deceived" Aragon with the creation of a working group, which, according to him, resulted only in MNAC informing the court of its inability to comply with the ruling.

MNAC claims that transferring the 13th-century murals, which are extremely fragile, poses a significant technical risk.

Despite this, the Aragonese government insists the court ruling will be enforced "one way or another."

"Aragonese people respect the law, and we are in the right," Azcón said, adding that that the issue is not political but a matter of "justice and legality,"

Azcón also stated that the paintings "belong to all Aragonese people" and argued that his government has not only a legal obligation but also a "moral duty" to ensure the ruling is carried out.

He expressed hope that the technicians responsible for transporting the murals will "not make mistakes and will cooperate with the justice system."

Azcón emphasized that protecting the integrity of the murals during the transfer is a top priority and reaffirmed that Aragonese authorities will take all necessary precautions to prevent damage.

MNAC has until Thursday, June 26, to hand over the murals.