Sine Qua Non, together with Amnistia i Llibertat, Associació Catalana de Professionals, Centre Internacional Escarré per les Minories Ètniques i Nacionals, Fundació Catalunya Fons, Fundació Josep Irla, Grup de Periodistes Ramon Barnils, Language Rights, Associació Nativitat Yarza, Plataforma per la Llengua and Quorum have submitted a shadow report for the fourth cycle of the United Nations Universal Periodic Review that Spain will undergo in 2025. The report aims to analyse the progress made by the State since the 3rd cycle in fulfilling its commitments to uphold human rights, while also highlighting pressing issues that threaten citizens’ rights and freedoms.
The report focuses on civil and political rights, specifically examining Spain’s compliance with the right to freedom of expression, and the right to peaceful assembly and association, with a particular focus on the Catalan context.
The 11 civil society organisations that form this ad hoc coalition believe that Spain faces significant democratic deficits, resulting in human rights violations. The report is structured around three main sources of these deficits:
- Laws restricting civil and political rights, in particular freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
- The politicisation of the judiciary, which undermines judicial guarantees for Spanish citizens.
- Abusive practices by state institutions used to persecute dissent.
The report makes recommendations to address the shortcomings identified and concludes that the current legal framework, combined with abusive state practices, has led to increased persecution of protest, suppression of freedom of expression and restrictions on civil rights and freedoms. This has fostered a criminalising and repressive legal environment.
Particular emphasis is placed on the ongoing political conflict between the Spanish state and Catalonia. While the government has made progress in addressing the conflict – through the negotiations that led to the pardon of political prisoners, the reform of the penal code and the approval of the amnesty law – the coalition urges the state to continue to monitor and ensure the full implementation of the amnesty law. Ending judicial persecution is seen as a first step towards exploring the roots of the conflict and finding a democratic and peaceful solution.
Know more
The Universal Periodic Review
https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/upr/upr-home
What are the Cycles of the UPR?
https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/upr/cycles-upr
October 2024