The Instruction Court number 38 of Madrid decided this Wednesday to prosecute the former Podemos deputy Pablo Echenique for an alleged hate crime for having published on the social network an offense of sexual assault against minors committed by a migrant person.
In an order dated this Wednesday, to which Europa Press had access, the judge considers that, “it is clear from the actions that the facts reported could constitute an alleged offence of discrimination and hatred, it is appropriate to follow the procedures of summary judgment procedure”, that is to say that this places him one step away from his trial.
Thus, Judge Carlos Valle informs the prosecution and the complainant, in this case the Christian lawyers, so that they “formulate an indictment, requesting the opening of an oral trial in the forms prescribed by law or the dismissal of the case”, without prejudice to the fact that they can exceptionally request the execution of the complementary procedures that they consider essential to formulate the accusation. The resolution is dated one day after the former deputy denied before the judge that with his tweet he wanted to criminalize all priests.
His intention was “completely the opposite” of what he is accused of, the former MP himself summed up on Tuesday after his statement. “In my tweet, I propose that in the same way that it is absurd to criminalize the group of migrants for the crimes that some of them may commit, in the same way it would be just as absurd to criminalize the group of priests for the crimes that they commit. some of them have committed,” he assured the media questions.
Echenique said he made this “ironic contrast between two absurdities” to respond to the words of the Archbishop of Oviedo, Jesús Sanz, about migrants, and that he would repeat the tweet. “But at no time do I criminalize an entire group, nor is that my intention. In fact, my intention is to explain that, just as you cannot criminalize all priests, you cannot criminalize all migrants either,” he said.
The former MP told the media that the case “has no meaning” and added that if his message was criminal, “half of the Spanish people would have committed very similar crimes.” Echenique also requested that the case be brought before the Provincial Court of Madrid to be archived, considering that he has not committed any crime.
Christian Lawyers hopes that an oral trial will be opened against Echenique
Christian Lawyers President Poland Castellanos applauded the judge’s decision and said he hoped an oral trial would finally be held. “Attacks against Catholics are increasing and it is essential that justice condemns these events,” he added.
Christian lawyers denounced Echenique for publishing this message on May 10 in
The former MP thus reacted to some comments on the reception of immigrants by the Archbishop of Oviedo, who declared: “In this Bonist openness, undesirable people can slip in.”
