The Spanish Parliament on Thursday assented to the amnesty law which will give pardon to individuals involved in the Catalonia separatist movement between 2011 to 2023.
The controversial law is implemented to overcome the political hurdle faced currently in the country while an exception is made for violent terrorism.
Amnesty will now be given to former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, activists, and politicians who participated in the separatist movement calling for the breakup of Spain.
The law will clear the way for Puigdemont to return to Spain after seven years of self-imposed exile on himself, and for other politicians who supported the Catalonia separation from Spain without any legal consequences.
The new law will be implemented following publication on the official State gazette after which the court will determine the course in which the law will be applied and how many beneficiaries are linked to it.
Though out of Spain currently, Puigdemont has been active in the Spanish election as he led Catalonia to May’s regional election.
The opposition has vowed to challenge the amnesty law at Spain’s Constitutional Court and the European level, but the bill was separated by the Catalan separatists who vowed the law didn’t signify the end of their movement.