Catalonia is one of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions, located in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, comprising the cities of Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona. Much like the Kurdish people, Catalans have waged a long struggle for language and identity, resulting in broad autonomy in areas ranging from education to healthcare.

 

THE FRANCO ERA

 

One of Spain’s wealthiest regions, Catalonia maintained its autonomous structure until 1137. Following the unification of the Aragon and Castile crowns, it became part of Spain. Since Spain consolidated its territorial integrity in 1515, Catalonia’s autonomy has repeatedly been reshaped.

 

Despite preserving a degree of autonomy in the 15th and 18th centuries, Catalonia faced systematic repression under the monarchy. The Catalan Penal Code was abolished, Catalan-language education was banned, and the use of Catalan currency was prohibited.

 

In 1931, Spain transitioned from monarchy to a republican regime, and Catalonia declared independence the same year. Following autonomy guarantees by the new government, this declaration was withdrawn and autonomy was constitutionally protected. However, after the civil war and Francisco Franco’s victory, a dictatorship was declared. Catalonia’s autonomy was abolished and sweeping prohibitions were imposed:

 

*Catalan was banned in education, literature, theatre, radio, cinema and even telephone conversations.

 

*Official documents were mandated to be in Castilian (Spanish).

 

*Public signage, advertising and road signs were rewritten.

 

*Barcelona’s Catalonia Square was renamed Spain Square.

 

*Children were forced to be baptized with Castilian names.

 

*Castilian was declared the sole official language.

 

*Catalonia’s autonomous institutions were shut down.

 

Following Franco’s death in 1975, limited reforms were introduced, but public resistance continued. After widespread strikes, a new constitution was adopted on 6 December 1978.

 

AUTONOMY RESTORED

 

The so-called “transition constitution” guaranteed the rights, cultures, languages and institutions of all peoples, while recognizing the autonomy of national communities and regions. Autonomy was implemented in stages:

 

*1979–1981: Autonomy was granted to “historical communities” through the 1981 Autonomy Agreement.

 

*1981–1992: The number of autonomous communities gradually increased to 17.

 

*1992 onward: A new Autonomy Agreement strengthened the regional character of the Senate, leading to the creation of the General Commission of Autonomous Communities in 1994.

 

Following the restoration of autonomy, several legal arrangements were enacted, including recognition of Catalan as the region’s language, full equality of Catalan and Spanish in education and administration, and the right to use either language in courts and official institutions.

 

In 2006, Catalonia gained administrative and fiscal autonomy through reforms. The same year, the Catalan Parliament approved a draft statute defining Catalonia as a “nation.”

 

INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION

 

In 2010, many of the powers granted in 2006 were curtailed, and Spain’s Constitutional Court ruled that Catalonia could not be recognized as a nation within Spain. As independence sentiment grew, the Catalan Parliament approved a declaration in January 2013 calling for a referendum.

 

Despite court rulings suspending it, a referendum was held on 1 October 2017. On 27 October 2017, the Catalan Parliament adopted a unilateral declaration of independence. In response, Catalonia’s autonomy was temporarily suspended, nine Catalan politicians were imprisoned, and several leaders, including former President Carles Puigdemont, went into exile.

 

RENEWED DIALOGUE

 

In June 2021, Spain’s left-wing coalition government issued partial pardons for nine imprisoned Catalan politicians. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the pardons were not aimed at changing political views. Former Catalan President Pere Aragonès criticized the move as insufficient, stressing that it did not constitute a real solution.

 

In May 2024, Spain’s parliament passed an amnesty law covering 372 politicians and civil society figures, including Puigdemont.

 

ARAGONES: POLITICAL NEGOTIATION IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE

 

Pere Aragones assessed the process unfolding in Catalonia and its similarities to the Kurdish issue in Turkey for the Mezopotamya Agency (MA).

 

 

Aragonès stated that the path of political negotiation is of vital importance in conflict resolution processes. Noting that some of the negotiation processes they conducted with the central government were successful while others failed, Aragonès said: “It's important when you are entering into a negotiation to have always in mind which is your ultimate goal because the negotiation process is very complex, there is full of contradictions but also of hopes and you can be trapped into that political dynamic. So, it's very important to have always in mind why you are in this struggle." 

 

INDEPENDENCE DEMAND

 

Recalling the events following the 2019 process, Aragonès said: “From then to now, this political process had some successes but also times when we feel stuck in the political dialogue but we achieved the amnesty law. Still the negotiation vision is continuing and now we are discussing some advances to have a greater autonomy.”

 

STEPS OF TRUST 

 

Emphasising the importance of public involvement and trust between the parties in the negotiation process, Aragonès said: “It's important when you are doing the first steps to build confidence between the two parts and for me that's the most important step. Because you can recognize that you have differences with your opponent. When I started the negotiation process in one of my first talks with the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez I explained to him that ‘I know that you defend United Spain and you know that I am defending Catalonia's independence but we both can engage in a negotiation process so let's look if we have room to advance in this negotiation process.’” 

 

Aragonès noted that the negotiation process they had with the central government was not a legally recognised process, the reason being that the higher echelons of the Spanish judiciary rejected this process. He said: “We frame the political process as a political one without any legal regulation to avoid boycotts from the judiciary. Apart from that each step of the negotiation process has a translation on regulation. For example the Spanish government accepted that historically Spain has neglected the Catalan language or even repressed the use of Catalan language. So they approved the use of Catalan language in the Spanish parliament. So this is at the same time a step forward in order to advance to the recognition of the Catalan language and Catalan culture by the Spanish state and at the same time it was a measure on building confidence.”

 

KURDS AND CATALANS: TWO FACES OF THE SAME COIN

 

Drawing attention to the similarities between the struggles of the Kurds and the Catalans, Aragonés said, “These are conflicts that have deep roots in history and you cannot solve rapidly and very quickly a conflict like that. You need time to solve that. You need a lot of commitments from people that are very different and that have very different interests in that conflict. But I think the other similarity is that the Kurdish movement associates the freedom for the Kurdish people with equality, with economic progress, with prosperity and this is very similar to our movement. We say that there are two faces of the same coin, national liberation and social justice, freedom and justice because in the end both Kurdish people and Catalan people we want freedom for our people to live better in society, to have better societies, to have societies that are more equal and more prosperous.”

 

'A LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT'

 

Aragonés said that in the ongoing process of resolving the Kurdish issue, dilemmas such as "the other side is not honest" or "they are trying to use the process to their advantage" may arise. He concluded: “This dilemma can only be solved with commitment and a long-term view and sometimes you have the opportunity and sometimes you have the political strength. It's not easy, it's full of contradictions but from my point of view it's the only way to achieve political progress. You always have this risk so in a gradual solution the risk is to stop in the second step and you want to walk five or six steps but you are working gradually and then you stop on the second step and you cannot advance more. We had two objectives to both of the political negotiations. One was amnesty and the other was self-determination. In other words, our goals were ending the repression and achieving freedom for our people. We achieved the first one. A lot of people have benefit from the amnesty law. But the problem, the question of sovereignty, of self-determination, of autonomy, of the political solution is on the table. So we have not achieved a significant step forward on that. Meanwhile you are in the negotiation process in a world that is full of complexity. Other issues arise: The pandemic, economic crisis, geopolitical turmoil. So taking into account that you have to have in mind that this is a gradual process but be aware of the moments that you feel stuck. Having long-term view is very important.”

 

Tomorrow: 'Transitional justice' in Colombia has made peace permanent.

 

MA / Berivan Altan - Hivda Celebi