Police brutality in Spain not being investigated
22.10.2020
Question for written answer E-005750/2020
to the Commission
Rule 138
Clara Ponsatí Obiols (NI), Carles Puigdemont i Casamajó (NI), Antoni Comín i Oliveres (NI)
On 20 October, Commissioner Johansson stated: ‘each incident of disproportionate or illegal use of violence brought to oversight bodies should be systematically subject of an in-depth administrative or judicial enquiry[1]’.
In Spain, extreme police brutality takes place particularly during Catalan pro-independence movement demonstrations and events. Police violence on 1 October 1 2017[2] led to around 1 000 people being injured, and was condemned by Human Rights Watch[3] and Amnesty International[4] among others. A recent ruling deemed that police violence by Spanish law enforcement was not a legitimate[5]. However, the Spanish police officers who beat the Catalans were not investigated by the Spanish Government, but rewarded with medals and bonuses[6].
In 2019, there were protests after Catalan leaders were sentenced to prison for the organisation of the 2017 referendum, and the Spanish police was again condemned by the Council of Europe[7] and rewarded by the Spanish government[8]. The Commission refused to comment.
Does the Commission believe that rewarding the Spanish police officers responsible for police brutality in 2017 and 2019 is in agreement with Commissioner Johansson’s statement?
Why did the Commission not comment on Spanish police brutality against the Catalan national minority, and consider it an internal matter?
Will the Commission investigate these cases, since the Spanish government has not?
- [1] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/commissioners/2019-2024/johansson/announcements/commissioner-johanssons-speech-police-brutality-european-parliament-plenary-session_en
- [2] https://spanishpolice.github.io/
- [3] https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/10/12/spain-police-used-excessive-force-catalonia
- [4] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/10/spain-excessive-use-of-force-by-national-police-and-civil-guard-in-catalonia/
- [5] https://imatges.vilaweb.cat/nacional/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2020-10-21-Sentencia-AN-Trapero.pdf
- [6] https://www.elconfidencialdigital.com/articulo/seguridad/quinientos-policias-guardias-civiles-1-seran-condecorados-orden-san-cristobal/20180921112030116122.html
- [7] https://www.coe.int/en/web/human-rights-rule-of-law/-/council-of-europe-anti-torture-committee-publishes-report-on-spain-focusing-on-prison-and-police-establishments-in-catalonia
- [8] https://www.publico.es/politica/marlaska-condecorara-policias-intervinieron-protestas-proces.html