Jordi Sànchez (politician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jordi Sànchez
Jordi Sànchez in 2017
Member of the Congress of Deputies
In office 20 May 2019 – 24 May 2019 (suspended)
Constituency	Barcelona
Member of the Parliament of Catalonia for the Province of Barcelona
In office 17 January 2018 – 18 May 2019 (suspended since 10 July 2018)
President of the Catalan National Assembly
In office 6 May 2015 – 16 November 2017
Preceded by	Carme Forcadell
Succeeded by	Elisenda Paluzie
Personal details
Born	(1964-10-01) 1 October 1964 (age 60) Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Political party	National Call for the Republic (2019–2020) Together for Catalonia (2020–2023)
Alma mater	Autonomous University of Barcelona
Occupation	Political activist
Known for	President of the Catalan National Assembly

Jordi Sànchez i Picanyol (born 1 October 1964) is a Spanish political activist from Catalonia, a region in Spain. He is known for leading the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) from 2015 to 2017. The ANC is a group that supports Catalonia becoming independent from Spain.

In 2017, Jordi Sànchez was put in jail. This happened because he was accused of organizing protests related to a vote on Catalonia's independence. Later, in 2019, he was found guilty and sentenced to prison. However, he was set free in 2021 after the government gave him a special pardon.

Early Life and Education

Jordi Sànchez was born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. He studied political science at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He earned his degree in 1991.

After university, he also taught at different universities. He worked as a part-time teacher at the University of Barcelona.

Early Career and Activism

From 1983 to 1993, Jordi Sànchez was a leader of a group called Crida a la Solidaritat. This name means Call for Solidarity.

He also worked for the Catalan Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This is a public TV and radio company. He was on its board from 1996 to 2004.

Later, he became the assistant director of the Jaume Bofill Foundation in 1996. He then became its director in 2001. This foundation works on social and educational projects.

In 2010, he started working for the Ombudsman of Catalonia. An Ombudsman is like a public defender. They help people if they have problems with the government.

Jordi Sànchez also wrote articles for different media. He shared his ideas on social and political topics. He helped create plans for public education and how to help immigrants.

Leading the Catalan National Assembly

On 16 May 2015, Jordi Sànchez became the president of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC). This group works for Catalonia to become an independent country. He took over from Carme Forcadell.

He was chosen by many members of the ANC's National Board. Even though another person got more votes from the members, Sànchez was seen as a good choice for everyone.

Imprisonment and Trial

Jordi Sànchez was put in jail on 16 October 2017. He was accused of a crime called sedition. This means encouraging people to go against the government.

The accusation was about a protest he helped organize on 20 September 2017. This protest happened when police were searching buildings related to the Catalan independence vote.

He was accused of leading a large protest in front of a government building. However, videos showed Sànchez asking people to protest peacefully. He also asked them to leave the area later that night.

A crime like sedition can lead to many years in prison. In 2018, Sànchez was moved to a prison in Catalonia.

Hunger Strike and Elections

From December 1 to December 20, 2018, Jordi Sànchez went on a hunger strike. This means he stopped eating. He did this to show his protest against how he was being treated. He wanted people to know about his situation.

In the 2019 general election, he ran for a seat in the Spanish parliament. He was elected to the Congress of Deputies. After being elected, he left his role in the Catalan parliament.

However, on 24 May 2019, he was suspended from the Congress. This was because of the ongoing legal case against him.

The Verdict and Pardon

On 14 October 2019, Jordi Sànchez was found guilty of sedition. He was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Amnesty International, a human rights group, said that his detention and sentence were too harsh. They believed it limited his rights to speak freely and protest peacefully.

In June 2021, Jordi Sànchez was freed from prison. The Spanish government gave him a special pardon. This pardon also freed eight other politicians who were jailed for similar reasons.

Public Reactions

After Jordi Sànchez and another activist, Jordi Cuixart, were jailed, people started a "yellow-ribbon" campaign. This was to show support for them.

Many people, including the former Catalan president, called them "political prisoners." However, the Spanish Justice Minister said they were "imprisoned politicians," not "political prisoners."

Amnesty International asked for their immediate release. They said the charge of sedition and keeping them in jail before trial was "excessive."

Large protests took place in Barcelona against their imprisonment. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered to show their support.

International groups also spoke out. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said that keeping people in jail before trial should be a last choice. PEN International and the World Organisation Against Torture also asked for their release. They said the detentions limited their freedom of expression.

In May 2019, a United Nations group asked Spain to release Sànchez and others. They called their detention "arbitrary." The Spanish government disagreed with this report.

After Sànchez was sentenced, Amnesty International again asked for his release. They said the way sedition was defined could harm the freedom to protest in Spain.

See also

In Spanish: Jordi Sànchez Picanyol para niños