The ECtHR will study the claims of Turull and Sànchez against Spain for alleged violation of their political rights

The European court gives the Spanish government until September 1 to answer a series of questions

MADRID, 23 May. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will study the lawsuits filed by the General Secretary of Junts, Jordi Turull, and the former president of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) during 1-O, Jordi Sànchez, against Spain for an alleged violation of their political rights due to the judicial proceedings that followed the 'procés'.

As reported by the defense of both, the ECHR informed them on May 4 of the admission of the claims they filed in June 2020, at the same time that it has required the Spanish Government to answer a series of questions, and make the allegations that deems appropriate, setting the deadline for it on September 1.

Sànchez denounced that the Spanish authorities violated his rights up to five times: for prohibiting him from participating in the 2017 electoral campaign; in the ordinary activity of Parliament, despite having been elected as a deputy in the aforementioned elections; in the investiture plenary sessions as a candidate for the Presidency of the Catalan Government on March 12 and April 13, 2018; and for suspending his functions as an autonomous deputy.

For his part, Turull denounced that, being a deputy in Parliament and being released on bail, "without any relevant event having occurred", he was placed in provisional detention by the Supreme Court on March 23, 2018, "in the middle of the investiture debate as a candidate for the Presidency of the Catalan Government".

For his defense, this judicial decision "was part of a coordinated action by the Spanish public authorities so that a prosecuted pro-independence deputy could not access the Presidency of Catalonia, because, by virtue of said provisional detention, the plaintiff had to resign to his candidacy and was deprived of the exercise of his rights as a parliamentarian".

He also denounced that the Constitutional Court took almost two years to resolve the amparo appeal filed against said resolution --which was dismissed--. In addition, I expand the original demand to inform the ECtHR that two of the magistrates involved in that decision, Cándido Conde-Pumpido and Antonio Narváez, later refrained from other pronouncements related to the 'procés' after being challenged by the ex-president's defense Carles Puigdemont for lack of impartiality.

According to a series of documents, to which Europa Press has had access, the ECHR asks the parties, both the defenses and the Spanish Government, to rule on the issues raised in both lawsuits.

Regarding Conde-Pumpido and Narávez, the Strasbourg court asks "whether the withdrawal of the two Constitutional Court magistrates from other lawsuits related to the independence process in Catalonia affected their impartiality in the previous proceedings" regarding Sànchez and Turull.