All associations of judges and prosecutors, except the progressive ones, have agreed to go on a three-day strike in July to protest the reforms announced by the Minister of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños. These reforms concern access to both careers and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, aiming to adapt it to the future change in the criminal procedural model, where investigations will transfer from judges to prosecutors.
This change in the procedural model, which shifts the “procedural impetus” from judges to the public prosecutor’s office, is what currently causes the most fear among a citizenry astonished by a Prosecutor General—García Ortiz—on the verge of being in the dock for using the prosecutor’s office to attack the opposition. No one in Spain forgets Pedro Sánchez’s terrifying rhetorical question on the radio: “…And who does the Public Prosecutor’s Office depend on?”… “The government,” his interviewer replied…”There you have it,” Sánchez concluded.
Through a statement, the Professional Association of the Magistracy (APM), the Francisco de Vitoria Judicial Association (AJFV), the Independent Judicial Forum (FJI), the Association of Prosecutors (AF), and the Professional and Independent Association of Prosecutors (APIF) have supported striking against the Executive on July 1, 2, and 3, in addition to calling for a demonstration on June 28 in front of the Supreme Court headquarters.
The announcement comes a day after internal consultations were published, in which over 80% of those surveyed in these associations expressed their support for following through on the strike warning, after a ten-minute stoppage called on June 11 in judicial offices nationwide to demand the withdrawal of these two reforms.
