Introduction
Commission Finds Room for Improvement in Spain’s Rule of Law Report
On 24th July 2024, the European Commission published Spain’s 2024 Rule of Law Report, finding that some improvements have been made, but there are still many areas which require further action. According to the Commission, Spain has improved in terms of its judicial system and the level of transparency and pluralism of the media, but has failed in some areas, particularly in terms of government efforts to combat corruption and reform of the controversial Citizen Security Law.
Sánchez Presents Democracy Action Plan
On 17th July 2024, just before the release of the Commission’s Rule of Law Report, Pedro Sánchez presented his Democracy Action Plan to Congress, derived from the EU’s Strategic Agenda 2024-2029, adopted on 27th June 2024. As part of the plan, Sánchez proposed reforms to Spain’s executive and legislative branches, as well as the country's electoral system.
The media will also be at the centre of these reforms, which are aligned with the EU’s new Media Freedom Act, and follow four main principles: transparency, independence, pluralism, and protection. To do so, the Law on Institutional Advertising will be updated for the first time in 20 years, with the aim of ensuring that, according to Sánchez, “there are no media that have more public financiers than readers” and no political force is able to “buy editorial lines with taxpayers’ money”. Sánchez further stressed that it is “neither the Government's mission nor its intention” to determine the credibility of some media outlets compared to others, but that “it is the duty of the public authorities to implement what has been agreed in Europe.”
Gag Law Reform on the Agenda Again
The beginning of July 2024 marked the ninth anniversary of the passage of the controversial Citizen Security Law. As repeatedly discussed on the CIVICUS Monitor, the so-called “Gag Law” has repeatedly been used to repress civil movements and hinder political freedoms in Spain since its enactment in 2015. Several reforms have been attempted in the past, however, these have all failed, most recently due to the inability of the government to reach a compromise on the use of rubber bullets by police.
On 16th July 2024, the day before the announcement of Sánchez’s Democracy Action Plan, the founder of Sumar and Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz, announced an agreement had been reached within the government coalition between the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) and Sumar to reform the Citizen Security Law. This is the result of a push by Sumar to broaden the scope of reforms envisaged in the Democracy Action Plan, which led to proposals to reform the Gag Law and other laws affecting civil society.
Most importantly, the coalition has committed to directly reforming one aspect of the Gag Law, and lifting the prohibition on photographing police officers and other state security Forces in public places, which is presently forbidden by article 36 of the law.
The government’s proposals also include reforms to the Penal Code, with agreements to abolish crimes related to the ridicule of the Crown (articles 490.3 and 491), ridicule of religion or the public (article 525), and insults against government entities such as the National Government, General Council of the Judiciary, and the Armed Forces (article 504).
Furthermore, according to the agreement, the provisions of the Organic Law 1/1982 on civil protection of the right to honour, personal and family privacy and one’s own image will be reformed to add a passage on “public reparation,” to better protect the honour of citizens covered by the news. Specifically, this reform will provide those whose reputation was harmed by news coverage while they were under an unsuccessful judicial investigation with a means to repair their public image.
Further Troubles with the Amnesty Law
On 30th May 2024, the amnesty law for Catalan separatists was finally passed in a close vote in Congress, with 177 votes in favour and 172 against.
However, on 1st July 2024, the Spanish Supreme Court rejected the request to apply the law to Carles Puigdemont and other independence leaders. The Court argued that these cases fall under the exceptions provided by the amnesty law, as it maintains that the leaders’ independence bid involved misuse of public funds and embezzlement for personal gain, as well as threatening the financial interests of the European Union.
Then, on 11th July 2024, two further rulings were issued, questioning the constitutionality of the amnesty law based on the principles of legal certainty and equality under the law. The Court has also pointed to a lack of remorse seen in independence leaders and questioned the nature of the law, which states in its preamble that it “seeks to satisfy the public interest such as the need to overcome and redirect deep-rooted political and social conflicts in the search for improved coexistence and social cohesion.”
However, the Supreme Court does not have the mandate to strike down the amnesty law, and has asked the Constitutional Court for their opinion.
Renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary
The PSOE and the conservative opposition People's Party (PP) have finally been able to work together to renew the General Council of the Judiciary (GCPJ). The GCPJ consists of 20 members who are appointed for a term of five years. Due to the congressional deadlock, no new members had been appointed since 2018. This impasse ended with the signing of an agreement on 25th June 2024, following two years of negotiations in Brussels. The talks were moderated by Věra Jourová, Vice-President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency, with Félix Bolaños representing PSOE and Esteban González Pons representing PP.
The appointments proceeded smoothly on 23rd July 2024, with both the Congress and Senate approving the 20 members agreed upon by PSOE and PP. The new CGPJ began work on 25th July 2024 and was expected to select a president, who will also serve as president of the Supreme Court, within seven days. One of the CGPJ’s most urgent tasks is nominating new judges, as 97 vacancies—many in key leadership roles within the Supreme and National Courts—require filling.
However, the CGPJ has struggled to escape the influence of Spain’s polarised politics. On 5th August 2024, the council failed for the third time to appoint a president. A minimum of 12 votes is required for the appointment, but the judges remain divided along party lines. Progressive members have insisted that the president should be a woman, while conservative members argue that gender should not be a deciding factor or, alternatively, that progressives should nominate a woman acceptable to the conservatives.
Freedom of Association
Civil Society Organisations Demand to be Included in Democracy Plan
On 17th July 2024, the same day as the announcement of Sánchez’s Democracy Action Plan, 35 organisations released a manifesto calling for greater involvement and consultation with civil society organisations. They emphasised that such involvement is essential to ensuring transparency and legitimacy in any proposed reforms.
The signatory organisations of this manifesto demand that, within the framework of the Action Plan for Democracy, the Government undertakes in a collaborative, inclusive, urgent and priority manner the following series of reforms to promote transparency, citizen participation, integrity and accountability in public management.
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Their full manifesto, in Spanish, is available here
Freedom of Expression
Journalists Berated by Top Politician
On 22nd May 2024, the Secretary General of left-wing minority party Podemos, Ione Belarra, publicly berated journalists Antonio García Ferreras, Susana Griso, Pablo Motos, and Ana Rosa Quinta during a session of Congress. She called for “corrupt journalists [to] be put on short notice,” and accused them of having “economic and political interests” that are behind “the lies they spread.” In response, the People’s Party filed a formal complaint asking for Belarra’s statements, which they view as baseless insults, to be removed from the Official Gazette.
Journalists’ associations, including the Federation of Associations of Journalists of Spain (FAPE) and the Madrid Press Association (APM), also condemned Belarra’s remarks. FAPE emphasised the need to respect freedom of information and urged political parties to reduce political tensions that fuel such accusations. The organisation reminded politicians that legal mechanisms, such as the Commission for Arbitration, Complaints and Ethics of Journalism, are in place to address violations of journalism’s ethical principles.
Spanish Journalist Freed in Prisoner Exchange
On 1st August 2024, Spanish-Russian journalist Pablo González was freed and transported to Moscow after two years of detention in Poland, as part of a historic prisoner exchange between Russia, the United States, Germany and others.
On the night of 28th February 2022, González was arrested in his hotel room by Polish intelligence services. At the time, he was working as a freelance journalist in the city of Przemyśl and reporting on the migrant crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Polish authorities accused him of being a Russian spy, reportedly due to his possession of a Russian passport—having been born in Moscow and lived there until the age of nine—and carrying rubles at the time of his arrest. Despite these accusations, no formal charges were ever issued by the Polish judiciary, which extended his provisional imprisonment eight times, most recently in February 2024. His inclusion in the prisoner swap appears to confirm suspicions that he was acting as a Russian agent.
His release follows two years of activism by González’s supporters, with pressure escalating recently due to the release of Julian Assange. Both Spanish and international press freedoms organisations joined in the calls for action. At an event organised by Público and hosted by the Basque College of Journalists and the University of the Basque Country, Edith Rodriguez, Vice-President of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said: “Pablo is a journalist from an EU member state imprisoned in another EU country. At RSF, we have no precedents of this kind.”
On 26th June 2024, a protest in support of González was held in front of the Polish consulate in Madrid, with the support of various Spanish and European groups.
Several organisations had also appealed to Pedro Sánchez and the Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, urging them to press Polish authorities for González’s release. In a letter to Albares, the Federation of Journalists’ Unions and a dozen other journalists’ groups asked the Spanish government to meet with Polish officials “to obtain the immediate release of a journalist suffering a democratic failure on European soil, an inadmissible detention from the perspective of law and freedom of the press.”
Sánchez and Albares had previously expressed their confidence in Poland’s judicial system, affirming their respect for its decisions.
Journalists Denied Access to Student Protests
On 31st May 2024 , the Andalusian Journalists’ Union sent a letter of complaint to the Rector of the University of Malaga (UMA), Teo López Navarrete, after journalists were prevented from fully covering student-led protests in support of Palestine. Throughout May, protests occurred on the university’s campus, with demonstrators at times occupying UMA’s library.
During a protest on 24th May 2024, UMA’s security service denied journalists access to the library, preventing them from recording or interviewing demonstrators inside. Instead, journalists were only permitted to conduct interviews outside the premises. The university’s Press Department and a representative from the Rectorate later confirmed that the university had ordered campus security to impose these restrictions.
The Andalusian Journalists’ Union condemned the restrictions as inappropriate: “The fact that the students left the premises to be recorded and interviewed outside distorts the newsworthy event since the news is the camp and the image of it and not the statements of the students gathered at the door, which is the alternative offered by the University. What is being hindered in this case is not only the right of colleagues to exercise their freedom to inform, but also the right of citizens to receive true and complete information about things .”
Freedom of Assembly
Puigdemont’s Surprise Return to Catalonia
On 8th August 2024, Carles Puigdemont, Catalonia’s former president and leading figure in the 2017 independence referendum, returned to Barcelona to give a speech at a rally, before disappearing in what the Associated Press described as a “sensational getaway”. Puigdemont had previously spent seven years in self-imposed exile after an arrest warrant was issued for his role in Catalonia’s failed independence bid.
Thousands of supporters gathered to welcome him in central Barcelona, as he had announced his intention to return in a video released the previous day. The massive number of protesters present prevented the police from reaching Puigdemont. According to a police statement, officers initially held back from arresting him, fearing that doing so could trigger further public disorder. The Associated Press news agency reported the details of Puigdemont’s escape, explaining that after his speech to the crowd, the politician disappeared into a nearby tent before rushing through an exit and jumping into a waiting car.
After Puigdemont’s departure, police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd, resulting in injuries to the public, with 22 people needing medical attention at the scene.
Venezuelans Protest for Freedom
On 28th July 2024, approximately 9,000 Venezuelans gathered in Madrid’s Plaza de Colón at a rally organised by the Venezuelan opposition. The protest coincided with Venezuela’s elections, with attendees calling for political change.
Following widespread reports of election fraud by incumbent leader Nicolás Maduro and calls from opposition leader Maria Machado to reject the results, further protests occurred. On 3rd August 2024, thousands gathered in Puerta del Sol in Madrid to support Machado and her party’s candidate, Edmundo González. Thousands also gathered on the same day in Barcelona at the city’s Arc del Triomf, with smaller protests occurring throughout Spain.
Protests in Barcelona Against the Supreme Court’s Decision
On 13th July 2024, around 1,500 demonstrators in Barcelona protested what they described as a judicial coup and the unfair application of amnesty. The Catalan National Assembly (ANC) reported that 74 people had been granted amnesty, including 46 police officers accused of torture, cruel or inhuman treatment during the 2017 independence referendum. The Court’s decision not to extend amnesty to the leaders of the independence movement, mentioned above, angered many Catalans and sparked protests.
The President of the ANC, Lluís Llach, declared: “We will rise up against the judicial rebellion until the last CDR [Committee for the Defence of the Republic] has been amnestied and every exile can return home freely.”
Nationwide Protests against Tourism
Anti-tourism protests have surged alongside the influx of visitors during the summer season, spreading to various regions across Spain. Although most protests have been peaceful, escalation has been seen in major hotspots. As previously reported by the CIVICUS Monitor, the Canary Islands saw major anti tourism protests in April 2024. Now, other tourist destinations are seeing similar movements.
- On 6th July 2024, La Rambla, Barcelona, saw 3,000 protesters from 140 organisations protesting overtourism, with hundreds also protesting in other Catalan cities, such as Girona. Some protest participants in Barcelona sprayed water guns on and wrapped caution tape around suspected tourists. These actions were condemned by Barcelona’s Hospitality Guild as “harassment” that goes beyond the right to protest, which deemed the protesters’ actions “unacceptable”.
- In Palma de Mallorca, protests took place on 10th and 12th July 2024, with over 10,000 attendees. The demonstrations were supported by civil society groups, including Menys Turisme, Més Vida (Less Tourism, More Life) and SOS Residents. As part of the protests, activists occupied popular beaches in Mallorca, displaying banners reading “Let's occupy our beaches” and “It’s time to stop”.
- On 21st July 2024, local news estimated that over 10,000 people marched through Palma's city centre in another protest, organised by a coalition of 111 organisations and led by the Less Tourism, More Life group.
- On 13th July 2024, in Alicante, five hundred protesters staged the first anti-tourism protest in the city, following the style of other protests. The demonstration was led by the group Alicante, Donde Vas.
- On 28 July 2024, around five hundred people demonstrated in Puente San Miguel and other municipalities in Cantabria against the region’s tourism model. These protests were led by the newly formed group Cantabria Para Vivir, which itself is made up of twenty regional organisations and groups.
- In the Canary Islands, a protest is scheduled to take place on 10th August against the construction of the Cuna del Alma megaproject in Puertito de Adeje. Environmentalists, who had delayed the project over concerns about local species, failed to stop it after the government approved the relocation of affected wildlife.
Rubbish Collectors Strike in A Coruña
Since 24th June 2024, rubbish collectors in A Coruña have been on strike due to disputes between their employer Prezero, the multinational concessionaire company responsible for waste management, the Union of Cleaning Workers (STL), and the City Council of A Coruña. The accumulation of rubbish led the City Council to declare a state of health emergency, which allowed them to hire Valoriza, another company, to handle waste collection.
The political deadlock and failure to reach an agreement have resulted in over 150 rubbish containers being set on fire, acts of violence condemned by all parties. The strike is further complicated by a corruption investigation involving STL’s leader, Miguel Ángel Sánchez Fuentes. The city government claims the strike serves as blackmail rather than a legitimate defence of workers’ rights. Mayor Inés Rey even suggested that STL was involved in the arson, a claim strongly denied by the union.
Tensions are high amongst all involved, including residents, who staged a protest on 19th July 2024 against the City Council’s handling of the strike and demanded an investigation into STL’s leadership.
Alfonso Seijo, an STL spokesperson, reiterated the union's commitment to the strike, saying it would not end until “the Equality Plan is implemented.” Seijo highlighted the need for new hires, particularly women, noting that only ten women are currently employed in waste collection services. STL also insisted that the strike would continue until all workers sanctioned by Prezero were reinstated.
Seeking to resolve the situation without capitulating to the union’s demands, Mayor Rey and the A Coruña City Council filed a formal complaint with the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office on 31st July 2024, arguing that the strike is illegal.