The Barcelona Court has ordered Court of Instruction number 6 to admit for processing the complaint filed by several groups against the Mossos d'Esquadra for the use of pepper spray in pro-Palestine demonstrations held in October in Barcelona.
The resolution corrects the initial filing and places the point of friction at the beginning of the case. The court appreciates that the police action could have been disproportionate given the peaceful nature of the protest and rejects validating the use of a means that it defines as a "dangerous instrument" without first conducting a sufficient investigation.
The Court sees indications of injuries and refuses to close the case without investigation
The 10th section of the Provincial Court holds that there are indications that the plaintiffs suffered injuries and opens the door to those wounds being a direct consequence of the intervention of the Mossos d'Esquadra during the protest.
Furthermore, the court considers it precipitate to endorse the use of pepper spray in that scenario without having first exhausted the basic diligence. That is why it orders the judicial route to be reopened and asks the court to take statements from the affected persons.
With that decision, the Court demands an exhaustive investigation before ruling out criminal liability for police actions during last October's mobilizations.
Accusers say they can identify two agents and a commander
Alerta Solidària, Irídia and other entities involved in the accusation have positively assessed the resolution because it allows them to promote new investigations into an intervention that until now had not been thoroughly investigated.
Among the material they expect to contribute are images in which they claim to identify the agents who used the sprays and their direct superior. This point could be key to specifying who intervened and under whose instructions action was taken during the dispersal.
Specifically, the entities maintain that they have images in which at least two police officers who used the sprays and also their hierarchical superior can be identified.