SPANISH Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday confirmed that his government yesterday would pardon nine Catalan political leaders jailed for their roles in organizing Catalonia’s independence referendum in October 2017 and the subsequent declaration of independence of the region in the north-east of Spain.

The nine Catalan politicians all received long prison sentences of between nine and 13 years for sedition.

Sanchez announced the decision at an event called “Coming together again: a forward-looking project for all of Spain” held at Barcelona’s emblematic Liceu Theater.

“The pandemic has reminded us that we almost always need each other to reach an agreement and someone has to take the first step,” explained Sanchez, stressing that the measure would help “rebuild social harmony from respect and regard.”

“I am convinced that taking nine people from prison, who represent thousands of Catalans, is a resounding message of the will for social harmony in Spanish democracy ... We cannot start from scratch, but we can start again,” he told his audience.

“We don’t expect that those seeking independence will change their ideals, but we expect (they) understand there is no path outside the law,” Sanchez said at the event.

Sanchez aims to ease tensions in the northeastern region and kick-start negotiations between the central government and Catalan authorities.

“To reach an agreement someone must make the first step. The Spanish Government will make that first step now,” he said. The social cost of keeping the conflict simmering was too high, he added

However, polls show about 60 percent of Spaniards are against freeing the politicians who were sentenced for their role in the unauthorized independence referendum and the short-lived declaration of independence. Madrid responded at the time by imposing direct control over the region from 2017-2018.

(SD-Xinhua)