Spain's top court reversed itself on Tuesday and is now set to review a decision that granted freedom to nine Catalonian separatist leaders jailed for their part in a disputed independence referendum in 2017.
The Tribunal Supremo had decided against such a review in January, but reversed itself after objections were tendered by the centre-right People's Party, the liberal Ciudadanos and the right-wing Vox party.
The nine were sentenced in 2019 for their role in organizing the 2017 referendum, which had been deemed illegal by the central government, on charges of misusing public funds. They were all given jail terms ranging from nine to 13 years.
They were pardoned a year ago by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who said the move was needed "to restore harmony and coexistence" to Spanish society after years of fighting about the topic of Catalonian independence. But the pardon was unpopular in many corners and sparked large protests.
Opponents said the pardons should not have been granted so long as the convicts had not recanted their claims that Catalonia should enjoy independence.
But the new threat to their freedom is also likely to spark protests. Catalonian President Pere Aragonès criticized the move to revisit the case. "This is not a legal, but a political decision," he said, noting it is likely to inflame tensions in Spain again.
