Spanish public and government at odds over pardons for Catalan leaders

The prime minister is expected to pardon those convicted over 2017's attempted secession this week

Spain's Socialist-led coalition government is expected this week to approve its hugely controversial pardons for the 12 Catalan independence leaders convicted two years ago over their roles in the illegal, failed attempt to secede from the rest of the country in October 2017.

The prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has said the pardons, which could be signed off by the cabinet on Tuesday, are needed to restore social and political coexistence and to help Spanish society move from a bad past to a better future".