“In defense of fundamental rights:
call for application of Article 7 of the EU Treaty against Spain”
The objective of this European Citizens’ Initiative is to call for application of Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union against the Kingdom of Spain for serious breaches of Article 2 of the Treaty in the form of failing to respect human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities.
Considering the abundant facts and evidence gathered by journalists, academics, NGOs, international observers, lawyers and the Ombudsman of Catalonia, amongst many others, the recent events in Spain in response to the movement for self-determination for Catalonia add up to a systematic attack on human rights and the separation of powers.
The denial of the right of Catalans to hold a referendum is, in itself, a serious denial of democracy. By attempting to block the Catalan people from exercising such a fundamental right as their right to self-determination, Spain is trampling on the human, civil and political rights of the Catalan minority which are set out in the Charter of the United Nations, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, all of which have been signed and ratified by Spain. Neither these agreements nor Spanish law have been respected in the case of the rights of the Catalan political prisoners, setting a dangerous precedent for breaches of fundamental rights which could affect all EU citizens.
For all these reasons, please support our call for application of Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union against the Kingdom of Spain, in order to defend human rights, the separation of powers and democracy in the European Union. Our fundamental rights are at stake.