Mercosur president denounces violation of fundamental rights in Catalonia

The President of the Mercosur Parliament, Daniel Caggiani, views the “violation of fundamental and political rights” in Catalonia with “much concern.” In an interview with the Catalan News Agency, Caggiani asserts that “political differences” must be resolved “in a democratic way through the vote”, as is done in “strong and serious democratic systems.”

The Mercosur Parliament is the parliamentary body of the Mercosur trade bloc, primarily made up of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, but also includes some other South American countries. The organization aims to promote free trade across the continent and encourage the fluid movement of goods, people, and currency.

After a meeting at Mercosur headquarters in Montevideo with Catalan foreign minister Alfred Bosch and labor minister Chakir El Homrani, the president of the Mercosur parliament denounced the “violation of political rights” of Carles Puigdemont, Oriol Junqueras and Toni Comín for not being able to take up their seats as MEPs despite having been elected.

“Without a doubt, any situation of contempt for civil and political rights against a parliamentarian will find a loop of solidarity from the Mercosur parliament,” Caggiani said. Despite acknowledging that the Mercosur parliament has not addressed the political situation in Catalonia, Caggiani pointed out that one of the groups that make up the parliament has expressed an opinion on the political situation in Catalonia.