Legislation

Spanish amnesty law for the Catalan independence process, 2024

Spain amnestied acts linked to the 2014 and 2017 votes and the independence process; the Constitutional Court upheld most of the law in 2025 and the EU Court of Justice found it compatible with EU law in 2026.

What happened

The law covers acts linked to the consultations of 2014 and 2017 and to the independence process between 1 November 2011 and 13 November 2023.[1] The Constitutional Court upheld most of it in June 2025, with dissents, and the EU Court of Justice ruled in July 2026 that it is not contrary to EU law.[2][3]

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

  1. 1.

    Claim: An amnesty law of 10 June 2024 covers acts linked to the 2014 consultation and the 2017 referendum, and to the independence process, carried out between 1 November 2011 and 13 November 2023.

    • Ley Orgánica 1/2024, de 10 de junio, de amnistía para la normalización institucional, política y social en Cataluña (Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado, 11 June 2024) link, preamble; art. 1.1. Source record
  2. 2.

    Claim: On 26 June 2025 the Constitutional Court upheld most of the amnesty law, declaring article 1.1 unconstitutional only to the extent set out in its reasoning and annulling the second paragraph of article 1.3; several judges dissented.

    • Tribunal Constitucional, Sentencia 137/2025, de 26 de junio de 2025 (Ley Orgánica 1/2024 de amnistía) (Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado, 31 July 2025) link, Fallo; dissenting opinions. Source record
  3. 3.

    Claim: On 16 July 2026 the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in two judgments that the amnesty law is not contrary to EU law, while holding that its two-month deadline cannot stop national courts waiting for an EU ruling. Attributed to Catalan News report of the judgments

    • Catalan News, EU top court backs Spain’s amnesty law for Catalan independence push (Catalan News (Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals), 16 July 2026) link, article text. Source record

Source note

Show in the notes list