farmers, this is how they lived down here, but with drought back to back to back. people can't survive. and so the government partner with the world food program, others were doing the best we can. but it's a terrible situation who reigns during the c as planting season, suggest yet another harvest will fail. the us food agency says the world must act now or a generation could be lost to famine. alex o'brien al jazeera. ah, this is going to say that these are the top stories. libby as foreign ministers, as thousands of mercenaries could be out of a country within days. representatives or libya is government are meeting one leaders and berlin to foster security ahead of national elections in december. the un says it's deeply alarmed by reports, dozens of people were killed in an air strike. and if you is to gray region health

workers in the village of to go, i told the associated press that soldiers blocked. busy medical teams from region to see on tuesday some of the most critically wounded people from what we gather, were evacuated by ambulances last night. and this morning, we have requested access to the area or to assist to assess the situation and see how we can, how we can provide assistance. but so far we've not been able to. the situation in the air remains very, very volatile. it's important that everyone engaged in fighting do their utmost to protect civilians to obey international humanitarian law. southern african nations have agreed to deploy forces to mozambique it. amazing in my put the most am beacon capital in april on group storm. the ton of palmer in the north kenning, dozens of people, and displacing thousands more. sedan has asked the un security council to intervene

in a dispute about ethiopia as hydro electric down the blue nile sedan and egypt. what are you going to impact water levels to runs for the minister once the security council to urge c o p are not to fill the dam this july as planned. iran has condemned the u. s. seizure of 33 media websites, calling it a breach of freedom of speech. the us says the science violates sanctions against her hon and accused them of spreading disinformation. the remaining staff of hong kong, apple daily has started distributing the final edition of the terrace is leading pro democracy use paper authorities and hong kong have frozen the assets of apple daily 9 separatists politicians and activists, a promise to keep pushing for capital and the public after they released from prison, spain had been serving sentences between 9 and 13 years. after kat alone is still session in 2017. next it's inside story, life, news,

news, news, news, news, cadillac, separatists leaders walk free from jail, spain's prime minister hopes the pardon will heal the wounds from the region failed succession attempts 4 years ago. but could his decision backfire and cause more division? this is inside story. ah, ah hello and welcome to the program. i'm hammer, jim jones, 9 politicians and activists convicted for trying to break the catalonia region away from spain or spinning their 1st moments of freedom. they were jailed for up to 13

years for holding an illegal referendum in 2017. spain's prime minister gave them a pardon on tuesday. he hopes his gesture will foster a peaceful dialogue about catalonia as future. but the leaders say they'll keep fighting for the region secession. the pardon is deeply controversial. opposition? parties say they'll challenge it in court. as sonya guy you go reports a tentative olive branch loaded with consequences. the spanish prime minister has been pushing hard to revive talks with capital and separatists and hoping that a pardon for the movement 9 imprisoned leaders can open the way for dialogue. we don't respond to mother, so the spanish government has taken this decision because it's the best of the catalonia, the best for spain, and correspondence to the spirit of harmony and co existence in the spanish constitution. yeah. it's not without opposition. sanchez finds himself

in the middle of a storm because outside of catalonia, it is deeply unpopular. more than 60 percent of the country against the move, and parties from the center to the hard right have capitalized on that discontent. but the procession is movement. the pardon do not go far enough. the cattle and lead to said only an amnesty would be acceptable, as he could cause to continue the fight for independence. but a short water. the fear. it's time for an amnesty on the right to self determination. it's time to agree on the referendum. it's time for a solution to achieve more internal consensus. yeah, the illegal independence referendum in 2017 triggered the biggest political crisis of the country had seen in decades. the 9 succession of leaders was sentenced in 2019 for their roles and the vote, including catalonia, the vice premier,

spain supreme court, which oversaw the trial has also rejected the pardons. as it says, those centers have shown no remorse. while the ruling is non binding, it could be cited impossible. future legal challenges in the constitutional court which could send the 9 back to prison. the difficulty for the process session is argument is that while it is very vocal, it is still in the minority in catalonia, big partial, spain is still just about the preferred option that mr. sanctioned. his dilemma is that he is leading a minority government and can ill afford to squander the support in the parliament . he also needs the support of catalan nationalists parties. their leaders know that this piece offering won't be extended by the prime minister's opponents. it is an enormous gamble, yet those determined to move on say the pardon are the only way to repair the deep divisions that still linger between the 2 sides. so did i ever go out there?

ah. all right, let's bring in our guests in barcelona. we are joined by mar aguilera, vasquez professor of constitutional law at bar slona university in madrid. ruth ferrero lecturer in political science and senior researcher at complet competency university of madrid and in brussels. pit there and you policy analyst and editor of brussels report dot e u. a warm welcome to you all more. let me start with you today. will these pardons from your vantage point, help heal the wounds between capital lonia and the rest of spain, or could they backfire and lead to deeper divisions going forward? good afternoon. thank you very much for hiring me here. it may have been you on this helps any step of course helps because this people has been in this cut, the leader. they have been in jail, then it's not only about them, it's about all the people that walked up to them. and we even had the president of

the capital empower meaning jane. and this has been very shocking porter cut the line society in this has been reflected in the last elections where people kept bolting woking. poor independent these parties of course there are many other parties, there are many other opinions in catalonia, of course there are, but this is a 1st step, but here in catalonia, many people what they want because a part of them its individual. and now right now, 9 person will be relieved, whereas if there is an amnesty law, that means that the facts are clear or clarify. and then more than see persons that are prosecuting court would be clarified. and then then, what would be very useful. an amendment of the criminal code to clarify the city

show crime and also some granted to have to do with the freedom of expression. and with these we would linger with the rest of the european countries roof. let me ask you the same question from your vantage point in madrid. do these pardons help foster a moment where it could lead to a reconciliation of sorts between the central government and the capital? i'm nationalists? yes, they will think so. i think this is, you know, the starting point to carry on with dialogue, political dialogue among the parties. and i think it necessary to go ahead. it's a legal issue. so that's sort of that then this are the political negotiations on dialogue. i think the got on us to say at the end is funny society already $12.00 way out of the situation of a nation. and so i think they are what we all want to move on on this on the situation. so yes, i guess i don't,

it's the 1st step that we'll have to wait and see if we can proceed on that political negotiations are fine, political solution for this issue. and if we could just step back for a moment and look at the beginnings of this, i mean the 2017 referendum. this created a huge political crisis. and while this crisis may have moved in no way, has it completely been resolved, has it exactly. i think the madrid government has not been properly engaging. it's indeed a 1st good step towards reconciliation between barcelona madrid. now, i mean, fundamentally, i think the independent tests in a gutter lonia,

shillinger stands that at least a large part of culture and society does not want independence. and i think madrid should accept incompetence society. there is a strong desire or legitimate desire for more self government, so it should be possible to find the middle grounds. the obvious answer and model to look at is switzerland. a country were indeed the centralized entities have a lot of competence in particular tax competencies. and if you look at spain and there is, there are d the basque country and they have more tax powers at the moment, then cuts alone. yeah. so perhaps that could be one way of trying to find the children that got tonia and perhaps older region in spain received the tax powers that the boss country already house. more polls have shown that

a majority of spaniards were against granting these pardons. now we've seen separatist leaders who were pardoned actually walk out of jail. how was that news being greeted hearing got the only, you know, where they saw is that has to be there just a large part of the society who and the police are referring to this. there is a large agreement on this. and of course, there are people who are not independent, these scores, and people who are, and people who want or consolidation needs to see what people want or at least go back to politics. and these 1st step, seen all these politicians, politicians getting out of his chair had mean a relief for us, but the steel there are more than 2000 persons that are still prosecuted. so that means that things are not easy. then the challenges are still here. we need

a response from politics, not from the judiciary, and specifically not from the criminal court because many things that maybe should be fine or should have a response. the criminal respond should be the last one, for instance, to call it sedition. what happened here in california for me this is for many like europe, county and i'm just international that un many do sean have said that this was this proportionate and so seen all the leaders getting out of jail has been very happy because for instance, the print out the parliament of catalonia, this lady, she said, grandma and she's very pop or she's very well known. and for many a cut these has been very painful, of course are many couple and 2 was very painful to see the touch referendum because of course, the proper to put,

i don't think for many this was painful to see that part of the cup and society wanted to be independent of what spain and they've won and they didn't trust the refrain. so because of that reconciliation and to talk, and also when the president of spring came to the detail, but on the open house of rambler person, i'd say we spanish, off guard on these the 1st time that we have seen this kind of seduction. and we will like to see more actually, ruth, our political parties in spain, who have been opposed to the granting of the pardons, no matter where they might fall on the political spectrum. are these parties beginning to capitalize with rigor over the anger that's been expressed about the pardons? not at all. i mean, the ride going parties had been trying to lounge campaign essay was the same in

2006 against they got a lot of stuff used by the so for by the population has to be the finish and they don't get what they were expected so matter of fact, while there are my now these, that the, that losing support from the source such as the a chart or the inter printers or of course the, the ones who are usually so for the position for the, the, the part on. so i think it has been good this struck you by the government to get this support. those no, just the political parties that were supporting their government with the approval of the budget in here. but also getting some up or their acts are the ones i just mentioned before, which is essential to go farther on these reconciliation and i am political

dialogue process. so i think the opposition political forces are lost in truck and there are losing their argument. they have no legal argument, they have no political argument because says pardon has been used as since the beginning, i mean, seems like centuries ago, but also the beginning of democracy in the same by either either a government right or left wing. so has no legal argument has no political or good and, and also they are not saying the truth when they say they are negotiating with independence independent. they've got the last because they need it will fly big governance of the country. because as i, yes, that the budget has been approved already, so they don't need the government. there's no need the support of the political party. so i think they have to think about it and a half a reflection on,

on that the, on the position of, or that i should say to radical position against the part of them. get there from your perch in brussels, how risky does all this look for prime minister sanchez? how much of an impact politically could these pardons have on him going forward while he's trying to find the middle ground? his between 2 sides ready, and that's why indeed he has not gone as far to declare amnesty but and also why he has waited in order to take this step. and then of course, is the right doing opposition and they are not very keen to, you know, to accept any concessions. but that said, at some point there's going to be a new elections in spain. and if sanchez wants to achieve something, he should not stop here more by just you know, granting this, this, this freedom to, to the policy makers,

to these politicians. he should officially engage and try to find a settlement with cult lonia and, and, and get a troop legally before the next elections. because indeed, otherwise, some people that are more hard line on the court, all in issue may come to power and then it may become even harder to find the settlement. now that says, i don't have the impression that mr. sanchez is, is courageous enough to go there. but we will see mark, where do things stand exactly in catalonia, when it comes to the separatist movement right now. i mean, since 2017 has, has momentum for this movement. ebd has it slowed? well, it's difficult to say because in the last electron it didn't go down, but the thing is that it was in the middle of cory. so participation was lower. so

it was said that look from the independent, the target to say look, the more when what is going up? i'm up. whereas from a time it was said, well, but know many people went to bolt, but this doesn't mean anything because we don't know what we're going about the one to stay at home. so if we look at the last electrons, independent, this movement, that's not the top. but i think many people would like to see politics back. i think maybe we're tired of all these judicial edition of, of the process. and so far we didn't see any response from the spanish state. so in the previous government. so right now at least a period of time change government is given is trying to missteps. and of course, it's criticized by goals right from the hard core of both time,

like from the winds up when the unity of expand that they don't want to talk at all . and the ones that are only are that want to go straight away towards independence . but most of the people, i think, you think the medium and, and step types these want or it would remain the, the criminal code if we would talk about the spanish judiciary. because if we talk about transitional adjusted when you go from the shipping toward democracy, now there are still missteps almost internationalist time there's that will be taken and come up, then we're not thinking into in a span till wearing a situation. sometimes that has to do with these morelli transition we had in the spring, but maybe we need another transition to enforce or democracy we need to talk about more about inclusive be about as these 2 is more that maybe would be a response or many other factors and towards that could increase and

i mean, you're just putting democracy or if you know, critics of prime minister sanchez accused him of abandoning his previous positions on this issue. they say that before that he had stated publicly that he was against giving out pardons to the separatist leaders. and that essentially he's only doing this now because he needs support and his party needs support from capital a nationalist parties in order to pass laws in parliament. what do you say is that a valid criticism? i mean, when the prime minister have done this, if he did not need that support, i guess i just mentioned that in my previous intervention that they suffered, they, the sentence is not really not true. i mean, the main law that has been passed on on day it's, it's legislator and it should be the budget has been passed already. so that's, that's not true. they government need say this for the pick up the political got

got that political party saying that i should say that i think the socialist party household with them being troll political dialogue. we have to remind here that the the most conflict conflicts, if governments and between are the most the most conflict relation has been doing. they've got the language in 2002 in 2006, 7 especially a later on with the referendum when the popular party was on government in a central government and the mother. so when the ra, because go very and both sides more radical, more radicalism appears either in catalonia or in there or so the country. so i think the nice is a good thing, said the parlor. and they said,

i quite agree with my previous colleague, not marvin wanting brussels when he said that since he has know enough bravery to, to face it, i think we have 2 years ahead to, to carry on the political dialogue. and i think if de socially government fails a good be not because of the part of best buy their stuff like management, social crisis that we're facing even though or how they manage the funds coming from europe. but not because of the fire them. and i think we are on the, on the right track to sort out the a political conflict which has been a stagnated for all for so long. bye now. thank you. so we know that the leaders who were pardoned, they're not gonna be able to hold political office for, for some time or, or run for office. but apparently these pardons are also conditional on these

leaders, not committing serious crimes for a certain amount of time. when we're talking about crimes, what, what do you think that means and what could encompass a crime? what could land, one of these leaders who's been, pardon, do you know back in a courtroom or back in jail going forward? well indeed, as you say, it all looks very shaky and dependent on the goodwill offer of madrid, we'd have to see legally how permanent it is, how solid it is. the future government could not revoke this. also it's clear that people like carlos push de month who is currently in belgium. it's not clear at all that he can go back to stain because indeed there has not been a formal amnesty. i mean, part of the problem is also that the spanish government, or i should perhaps say the judiciary has been using definitions of,

of crime. and that's are not necessarily considered a crime in other european countries, which is an element that has complicated attempts by the spanish judiciary to ask for extra edition, for example, from a from belgium. so belgian judges has of broke this extradition also. now do you are being court of justice as over rules the do you report that served as the legal basis to to to take the immunity from catalano or any piece. so i think a lot of the legal basis that has be used to author to initiators of this or friend them is quite questionable. you also see examples of public officials in catalonia, that are facing legal consequences even if they were merely, you know, doing their job as bureaucrats,

rudy and has no political role whatsoever. so i think a lot of it is very questionable so far. and this also, i should, should race on doubt, on how solids dis, pardons, will actually be in practice, mar, pitter, just mentioned how it's sort of unclear where all this might leave. mr. put your mom going forward. i want to ask you a little bit more about that. i mean, could, could what's happened with these pardons? and if there is a reconciliation or a dialogue going forward, could that in any way open the door for mr. put your mind. who is in self imposed exile to come back in some capacity or perhaps even be granted a pardon or clemency of some type as it has just been said that the situation is that many crimes that or a crime in the saying, according to our criminal court or at least not clear, not like sedition,

like criticizing the, the king of spain or, or an attack to, to religion. they are not in line with other quotes in europe. and this is why the european court of human rights have been take all these years. so that mean that you put them on griffin, i'm going to be general on you want to come. she can go around or europe because he's the european and be but too far from the tradition of ms. payne, it has been said that if you come to spain, he would be arrested. so 2 things should be change because if not, we have the situation that the ones that stay here, the poor man, it has to be seen as more honest the fact that they say that they went through the court. and the once would be in the street, whereas the printing on which a mom who is in a dial, if he comes back,

she would be arrested and also prosecuted and prosecuted chips he would be released . but perth, all these leaders where in preventive prison for many months in mother iep and they are from barcelona, they normally because they could not the frame themselves in their own language. all right, well we have run out of time, so we're going to have to leave the conversation there. thanks so much to all of our guests marketing of our case. ruth ferrero and her trip and thank you to for watching. you can see this and all of our previous programs again, anytime by visiting our website, algebra dot com and for further discussion, go to our facebook page at facebook dot com forward slash ha. inside story. you can also join the conversation on twitter. our handle is at a inside story. for me, my name is jim jim, and the whole thing here. bye for now. the

ah, ah ah! most people will never know what's beyond the store, the deafening silence of 100000. how it feels to touch danger every day. most people will never know what it's like to work with. every breath is precious, with fear is not an option. but when most people history is forgotten. peril yet in spain state in post them easier was enshrined in

law. diminishing the plight of countless victims of franco's 36 year dictatorship with a group of survivors has launched an international law suit hoping to bring those accountable to justice and force the country to acknowledge its fascist passed the silence of others weakness on al jazeera. ah, this is al jazeera ah, hello, i'm robinson. this is the news online from dough hard coming up in the next 60 days . he hope for peace and stability in lydia default medicine says mercenaries could pull out within days. reports the dozens of people have been killed in an air strike market in ethiopia is to great region un warnings of a catastrophe. and.