The Barcelona Audiència has applied Spain’s amnesty law to Marta Rovira, closing the remaining disobedience case against the former general secretary of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) stemming from the 1-O. Court filings reviewed by ARA confirm that the tribunal dismissed the proceedings on Tuesday, following a transfer of jurisdiction from the Supreme Court earlier this year.
Jurisdiction Transfer and Court Ruling
The legal proceedings against Rovira originated in 2018 when the Supreme Court initially opened a case against her, prompting her move to Switzerland. The charges initially included rebellion before shifting to sedition in 2019, and eventually settling on disobedience following subsequent penal code reforms. In May, the Supreme Court determined it lacked jurisdiction to try the case further and transferred the matter to the Barcelona Audiència.
In its resolution, the Barcelona tribunal cited Article 1 of the amnesty law, which covers acts of disobedience connected to the 1-O. The court noted that the legislation mandates preferential and urgent application by judicial bodies. The tribunal stated that because the case was in an intermediate phase, no justification existed to delay the application of the law until an oral trial.
Resolution of Parallel Investigations
Beyond the primary disobedience case tied to the 1-O, the Audiència Nacional had also opened a parallel investigation into Rovira concerning the organization and actions of Tsunami Democràtic. However, the high court archived that separate investigation in July 2024, enabling Rovira to return to Catalonia for the first time. Supporters organized a welcoming event for her and other previously investigated individuals in Cantallops, Alt Empordà.
The legal resolution coincides with a period of internal realignment within ERC. Following party losses in elections two years ago and the loss of the presidency of the Generalitat, Rovira announced plans to step down from her leadership role. That transition preceded an internal party division involving Rovira and ERC president Oriol Junqueras.
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Party Response and Political Reactions
In an official statement, ERC welcomed the judicial decision, arguing that the move became inevitable following a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The party urged authorities to apply the amnesty law consistently across all remaining open legal proceedings.
ERC president Oriol Junqueras also acknowledged the ruling through a statement on the social media platform X. Junqueras described the decision as the end of a six-year period of political persecution and exile surrounding the referendum of the 1-O.
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