Civil liberties in Catalonia Since the Referendum: Joint UPR Report
The Assemblea Nacional Catalana (ANC) and the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) have jointly submitted a report for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Kingdom of Spain at the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The UPR is a mechanism designed to monitor how recognised states at the UN implement the Treaties they are subject to in terms of Human Rights. The hope is that both the Kingdom of Spain and international actors will address the concerns of the Catalan NGO about the treatment of political activists and the prisoners currently undergoing trial for organising a referendum.
Also called into question in the document is the objectivity of Spanish criminal justice and the growing inability of cultural organisations to have the right to assembly. UNPO remains concerned that a member of the European Union, that prides itself in maintaining high democratic standards and adherence to Human Rights, can even be seriously considered for such misdemeanours. It calls on Spanish policy makers to recommit to ensure the highest standard of respect of international human rights treaties it is subject to.
