Spain to pardon jailed Catalan separatist leaders on Tuesday

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gestures as he explains his plan to issue pardons to a dozen Catalan separatist leaders, at Gran Teatre del Liceu, in Barcelona, Spain, June 21, 2021. REUTERS/Albert Gea

BARCELONA (Reuters) -Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his government would pardon the nine jailed leaders of Catalonia's failed 2017 independence bid on Tuesday as a first step towards ending the political conflict over the wealthy region.

As he spoke in Barcelona's opera house, several hundred separatists protested outside, demanding still more concessions, and one member of the audience interrupted him for a few seconds shouting "Independence".