Spain’s parliament gave final approval Thursday to a controversial amnesty law which will end legal action against hundreds of Catalan separatists involved in the unsuccessful 2017 secession bid.
The legislation — backed by the left-wing ruling coalition, two Catalan parties and other smaller parties — passed even though the conservative Popular Party (PP) and the right-wing Vox voted against it.
The bill passed by a narrow margin of 177 votes in favor to 172 votes against.
Following publication in the official gazette, Spanish courts will have a two-month window to implement the law, which is anticipated to annul the legal records of hundreds of officials and activists engaged in Catalonia’s separatist movement since 2011.
In March, the lower house of the Spanish parliament approved the bill, which grants amnesty to more than 300 nationalists, including former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont.
The lower house of parliament had previously rejected the bill in January as Puigdemont’s Junts party opposed it, citing concerns about potential prosecution for terrorism. Following negotiations, a revised version of the law was agreed on to address these issues.
Since first taking power in 2018, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has attempted to reduce tensions in the northeastern region, claiming that the amnesty is key to achieving deescalation.
This story is being updated.
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