Council of Europe adopts strong resolution against Spain’s pursuit of Catalan leaders

Today’s address by the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, at the Liceu theatre in Barcelona, announcing pardons for the nine Catalan political prisoners has been heard loud and clear in Strasbourg. But it has come too late. It has not prevented the severe blow that Spain has received in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which today approved a resolution arising from a highly critical report, calling for the release of the pro-independence prisoners, an end to the persecution of the politicians in exile, and a series of other recommendations on the Catalan conflict….