Conservative members of the CGPJ specify to Europe the "continuous and systematic" attacks of Podemos on judges

MADRID, 10 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Five of the 17 members of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) have sent a letter to the Vice President of the European Commission, Vera Jourová, to detail the "continuous and systematic" attacks to which judges have been subjected since January 2020 by Podemos politicians and members of the Government such as the former Vice President of the Executive Pablo Iglesias, and the Minister of Social Rights and leader of the 'morada' formation, Ione Belarra.

In a letter, to which Europa Press has had access, the members of the conservative wing Carmen Llombart, José Antonio Ballestero, Gerardo Martínez, Ángeles Carmona and José María Macías have expanded the information provided by the Plenary of the CGPJ on the "attacks against members of the judiciary" in response to the additional questions formulated by the European Commission for the preparation of the annual report on the Rule of Law.

The signatories have considered it pertinent to "add additional information" to the response of the governing body of the judges because, in their opinion, "the way in which it has responded can decontextualize the information provided."

In this sense, they have warned that the data supplied to Europe could "give the impression that the only episodes in which members of the executive and legislature have publicly spoken out belittling judges and courts before the citizenry have been only two and during the year 2022".

The signatories have specified that although these episodes "are real", "the truth is that since January 2020 these episodes have been continuous and systematic." Thus, the five members have attached two dossiers to their text: one of statements by the CGPJ itself --13 pages-- on "attacks on justice"; and another of 171 pages with news items that include "the many episodes in which this situation has occurred."

"The news could be much more and from many information media, but for operational reasons we limit ourselves to four media," they have pointed out while stressing that "the effect that this type of demonstration produces on the public through the media is entirely relevant".

According to the press dossier, there are news items collected between January 2020 and March 2023. This information includes several statements by the spokesman for Podemos in Congress, Pablo Echenique: in one of them he said that there were "macho judges" who had carried out a "hunt" for the Minister of Equality, Irene Montero; In another, it pointed out that "judges must apologize to the victims for misapplying the 'yes is yes' law."

For its part, in the dossier on the statements of the CGPJ on attacks on Justice there are six institutional communications from the body. The first of them is from January 15, 2020 and is pronounced on the words spoken by the then second vice president of the Government Pablo Iglesias regarding "Spanish Justice and the cause of the 'procés' in Europe".

More communications are added to the list: one on other statements by Iglesias regarding the sentence of the regional deputy Isabel Serra; and another on "manifestations by those responsible for Unidas Podemos on the actions of the Justice in different cases: box B of the PP, king emeritus, investigations into the alleged irregular financing of Podemos...".

In turn, there are two communications on the statements of the Minister of Social Rights and leader of Power, Ione Belarra: one for the conviction of former deputy Alberto Rodríguez and another on the revisions of sentences in application of the Organic Law of Comprehensive Guarantee of Sexual Freedom , known as the 'law of only yes is yes', an issue for which the Minister of Equality Irene Montero also spoke.