61 retired diplomats issued a statement condemning the attitude of the government led by Pedro Sánchez

Diplomats strongly oppose the amnesty negotiated by the Spanish government and Catalan pro-independence supporters

PHOTO/AFP/PAU BARRENA - El presidente del Gobierno español, Pedro Sánchez (izq.), estrecha la mano del presidente regional catalán, Pere Aragonés, a su llegada a una cumbre franco-española en Barcelona el 19 de enero de 2023 — PHOTO/AFP/PAU BARRENA - Spanish President of de Government Pedro Sanchez (L) shakes hands with Catalan regional president Pere Aragonese on his arrival at a Franco-Spanish summit in Barcelona on January 19, 2023.

10/11/23

61 retired diplomats (ambassadors in their vast majority) presented a statement against the amnesty negotiated between the Spanish Government and the Catalan pro-independence supporters, opposing the granting of such amnesty to those responsible for the illegal referendum of 1 October 2017 and also to the self-determination of Catalonia.

This group of retired diplomats point out that the "dramatic situation in which Spain finds itself" is the fault of the Spanish President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, who, "in order to remain in power, is making pacts with the enemies of the Nation and is making all kinds of concessions".

The diplomats' statement, the letter sent and the list of signatories are reproduced below:

DECLARATION OF RETIRED DIPLOMATS: "NOT IN MY NAME, NOT IN THE NAME OF SPAIN: NO TO AMNESTY, NO TO SELF-DETERMINATION".

Sixty-one retired diplomats have issued a Declaration opposing the granting of an amnesty to those responsible for the illegal referendum of 1 October 2017 and the Unilateral Declaration of Independence of Catalonia. The dramatic situation in which Spain finds itself is the fault of a person who, in order to remain in power, is making pacts with the enemies of the Nation and making all kinds of concessions to them. Pedro Sánchez stated that his government would never grant an amnesty because it did not fit in the Constitution and, in the report justifying the granting of pardons to the Catalan seditionists convicted by the Supreme Court, approved by the Council of Ministers, it was said that - unlike the pardons - the amnesty was clearly unconstitutional. The PSOE did not include the granting of an amnesty in its electoral programme and during the campaign was against it.

However, as Sánchez pointed out, "the elections on 23 July changed things", since, as a consequence of the results, in order to be re-elected he needed the seven votes of JxC, the party led by Carles Puigdemont, who has demanded, as a "sine qua non" condition to be granted amnesty, the approval of an extremely broad Amnesty Law. As a result, he changed his mind, declared that courage was shown by making the saying "one must make a virtue out of necessity", and stated that - "in the name of Spain, in the interest of Spain and in defence of coexistence among Spaniards" - he defended amnesty in Catalonia for its normalisation. These words do not reflect reality, and the president is confusing Spain's interest with his own. The consequences of this Copernican turn of events are extremely serious, since - if the actions of the seditious Catalans were legitimate - it would follow that King Felipe VI overstepped his duties by accusing the Catalan authorities of rising up against the rule of law, the judges of the SC would have prevaricated by unjustly condemning patriots, and the government and the security forces abused their power and should apologise to the coup plotters for their excesses.

Sánchez also said that Puigdemont was a fugitive whom he would bring to Spain to face justice. He will indeed bring him back, but not as a criminal, but in praise of the crowd, as a great statesman who will generously allow the formation of a progressive government. Faced with Sánchez's weakness, Puigdemont has considerably increased his demands, in a battle with ERC, to see who can get more from someone who will give anything to keep power.

The Professional Association of the Judiciary has rejected a future Amnesty Law, because it aims to annul the judiciary and privilege a few members of the political class. Such a law of impunity is unacceptable and unacceptable in a full democracy, because it breaks the principle of separation of powers and delegitimises the rule of law. The planned amnesty is unconstitutional, unjust and immoral. It is not a problem of left or right, but of national dignity. A responsible president cannot submit to the blackmail of Spain's enemies and ally himself with those who seek to destroy it.

As diplomats, they are concerned about the high degree of disrepute in which the government has brought Spain into disrepute because of its crazy foreign policy. Their colleagues have worked hard to counter the false narrative of independence and to explain to the foreign ministries the coup d'état carried out by the Catalan authorities, and now they see that their efforts have been in vain, because the coup plotters have apparently acted correctly, and Puigdemont is no longer a fugitive, but a very honourable politician. The diplomats conclude their Declaration by calling on the government to return to rationality, to abandon dangerous friendships with Spain's enemies, and to try to reach state agreements with the main opposition party, as happens in other democratic countries.

NOT IN MY NAME, NOT IN THE NAME OF SPAIN: NO TO AMNESTY, NO TO SELF-DETERMINATION

We, the undersigned retired diplomats, wish to express our deep concern and indignation at the events that have been taking place lately in our country because of a person who, in order to remain in power, is making pacts with the enemies of the Nation and is willing to make unimaginable concessions at the expense of Spain and the Spanish people, even if he wraps them up in the euphemistic garb of a "change of opinion".

Before the last general elections, Sánchez stated that "what the independence movement is asking for is amnesty, something that this government is certainly not going to accept as it does not fall within the Spanish Constitution. They have not had amnesty and they are not going to have a referendum on self-determination". In the Report justifying the granting of pardons to the Catalan politicians condemned by the Supreme Court, the Minister of Justice, Juan Carlos Campo, argued that, "unlike the amnesty - clearly unconstitutional - which is demanded by some sectors of the pro-independence movement, the pardon does not make the crime disappear", and this report was approved by the Council of Ministers. The PSOE not only did not include in its electoral programme the granting of an amnesty to those responsible for the procès, but expressly excluded it in its statements during the election campaign. It was not part of their plans to grant it, but - as Sánchez has acknowledged - "the elections of 23 July changed things".

And what did this change consist of? Well, in order to continue at the head of the government, Sánchez needed the 7 votes of JxC, the party led by Carles Puigdemont. As the acting president admitted, the granting of the amnesty was a "condition" for there to be a government of progress, and courage was shown by making the saying "making a virtue out of necessity" come true. Consequently, he cynically claimed that, "in the name of Spain, in the interest of Spain and in defence of coexistence among Spaniards", he defended amnesty in Catalonia for its political normalisation. How could he speak in the name of Spain when he had not submitted this proposal for the consideration of Spaniards in the elections? How does it benefit the interests of Spain and coexistence among Spaniards to forgive and forget the crimes committed by criminals who not only have not repented of their misdeeds, but have boasted that they will commit them again?

Sánchez also said at the time that Puigdemont was a fugitive whom he would bring to Spain to face justice. He is indeed going to bring him back, but not as a criminal to be tried for his crimes, but as a former - and future - president of the Generalitat, a statesman who, with the votes of his party, will allow the formation of a new progressive government.

Sánchez now maintains that the holding of the illegal referendum of 1-O, the disconnection laws that abolished the Constitution and the unilateral declaration of independence were not crimes, but "political crises" that should never have been prosecuted, and that - with the granting of amnesty - he would return to politics what should never have left it. The consequences of this incredible Copernican turn of events are extremely serious, since - if the actions of the seditious Catalans were legitimate, by limiting themselves to exercising their sacrosanct right to vote - it would follow that King Felipe VI would have overstepped his duties and erred in delivering his transcendental speech of 3 October 2017 - in which he blamed the Catalan authorities for their illegal uprising against the rule of law, the Supreme Court judges would have prevaricated by unjustly and knowingly trying and convicting patriots, and the government and security forces that legitimately intervened to restore the violated constitutional order abused their power and should humbly apologise to the coup plotters for their unjustifiable excesses.

As diplomats, we are concerned about the high degree of disrepute to which the government has brought Spain with its nonsensical foreign policy, which has made it a laughing stock in Europe. According to Tarradellas, the only thing a politician could not do was to make a fool of himself, and Sánchez is doing just that. Our colleagues who devoted their best efforts to countering the false narrative of pro-independence agitprop and to explaining to the foreign ministries the coup d'état carried out by the Catalan authorities - and who managed to get not a single state to recognise the Catalan Republic - now see that all their work was in vain, because the coup plotters apparently acted correctly and Puigdemont is no longer a fugitive, but an honourable politician who works tirelessly in the interests of Spain.

In a serious government - be it left-wing or right-wing - the important thing is that it governs coherently, although in this case it is not a question of left or right, but of national dignity. A responsible President of the Government cannot submit to the blackmail of Spain's enemies and ally himself with those who seek to destroy it. What will the judges of the CJEU think of a State whose government has requested the extradition of a fugitive accused of sedition and embezzlement, and now sees it overruling its judges and prostrating itself before the accused in order to beg for the votes of its party?

The Professional Association of the Judiciary has expressed its firmest rejection of a future Amnesty Law that -beyond allowing Sánchez to obtain the necessary votes for his investiture- aims to annul the Judiciary, the last dike of containment against abuses of power, arbitrariness and inequality before the law, in order to privilege a few members of the political class. A law that would exonerate them from criminal responsibilities already declared by the courts or yet to be tried, without making prior legal modifications or entering into a new constituent process, "is unacceptable and unacceptable in a full democracy", because it would break the principle of separation of powers, and would delegitimise a state that would cease to be governed by the rule of law by condemning its courts for political crimes. The planned amnesty is unconstitutional, unjust and immoral. Not everything goes! And the pact with JxC has not yet been finalised, with Puigdemont humiliating Spain more and more every day. When the fugitive lifts his veto on Sánchez's investiture, the bill for the State will be much higher.

In these serious times, we call on the Government to recover its rationality, to abandon dangerous friendships with Spain's enemies - which are not essential for the formation of a Government - and to try to reach State agreements with the main opposition party, as happens in the democratic countries around us.

LIST OF SIGNATORIES OF THE RETIRED DIPLOMATS' DECLARATION: "NOT IN MY NAME, NOT IN THE NAME OF SPAIN: NO TO AMNESTY, NO TO SELF-DETERMINATION

1.-Albart, Álvaro

2.-Alba, César

3.-Ansoain, Ramón

4.-Arias, Inocencio

5.-Barañano, José Ramón

6.-Benavides, José Ignacio

7.-Bordallo, José Antonio

8.-Buitrón, Alberto

9.- Cacho, Manuel

10.-Cámara, Manuel de la

11.- Camuñas, Ignacio