Jailed Catalan leader welcomes Spanish plan to grant pardons

Jailed Catalan leader welcomes Spanish plan to grant pardons — — -Brussels (Brussels Morning) Former Catalan deputy premier Oriol Junqueras praised the Madrid government’s plans for a sweeping pardon for jailed Catalan independence leaders such as himself, saying it would be a welcome gesture to “relieve the pain”.

Junqueras also defended the idea of a “negotiated” referendum on the future of Catalonia, as opposed to further unilateral initiatives, which he described as unviable, El Pais reported.