Joaquim Forn | |
|---|---|
 Forn in August 2017 | |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 14 July 2017 – 27 October 2017 | |
| President | Carles Puigdemont |
| Preceded by | Jordi Jané i Guasch |
| Succeeded by | Miquel Buch (Direct rule until 2 June 2018) |
| Member of the Catalan Parliament for the Province of Barcelona | |
| In office 21 December 2017 – 24 January 2018 | |
| Succeeded by | Antoni Morral i Berenguer |
| First Deputy Mayor of Barcelona | |
| In office 2011–2015 | |
| Preceded by | Jordi William Carnes i Ayats |
| Succeeded by | Gerardo Pissarello Prados |
| Councillor of Barcelona | |
| Assumed office 15 June 2019 | |
| In office 1999–2017 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joaquim Forn i Chiariello 1 April 1964 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Citizenship | Spanish |
| Political party | Together for Catalonia |
| Other political affiliations | Catalan European Democratic Party (until 2020) Together for Catalonia (coalition) |
| Alma mater | University of Barcelona |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Website | Catalan government in exile |
Joaquim Forn i Chiariello (born 1 April 1964) is a Spanish politician and lawyer from Catalonia. A former deputy mayor of the city of Barcelona in north-eastern Spain, Forn served as Minister of the Interior from July 2017 to October 2017 when he was removed from office following the Catalan declaration of independence.
Born in 1964 in Barcelona, Forn graduated from the University of Barcelona before joining the legal profession. A supporter of Catalan independence, Forn joined the nationalist Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) whilst a student. He was elected to the Municipality Council of Barcelona in 1999 and in 2011 he became the city's first deputy mayor, serving until 2015. He was appointed Minister of the Interior for Catalonia in July 2017.
On 1 October 2017, an independence referendum was held in Catalonia despite the Constitutional Court ruling that it breached the Spanish constitution. 92% supported independence though turnout was only 43% due to a boycott by unionists. The Catalan Parliament declared independence on 27 October 2017 which resulted in the Spanish government imposing direct rule on Catalonia, dismissing the Catalan government, including Forn. The Catalan Parliament was dissolved and fresh elections imposed by central government. On 30 October 2017 charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds were brought against Forn and other members of the Catalan government. Forn and Puigdemont, along with others, fled to Belgium, but on 31 October 2017 Forn returned to Spain. On 2 November 2017 Forn and seven other Catalan ministers were remanded in custody by the Audiencia Nacional. Six of the ministers were released on bail on 4 December 2017 but Forn and Vice President Oriol Junqueras were kept in custody. At the regional elections held on 21 December 2017 Forn was elected to Parliament and Catalan secessionists retained a slim majority in the Catalan Parliament. Forn resigned from Parliament in January 2018 but remains in prison. During December 2018 he did a hunger strike.[1] On 1 February 2019 he was transferred to a prison in Madrid, waiting for the trial that started on 12 February.[2]
In the 2019 Barcelona City Council election, he was head of the Together for Catalonia candidacy to Mayor of Barcelona. He was not able to participate in the electoral campaign while in prison. The Supreme Court allowed him to collect the councilor's credentials on 14 June and took office on 15 June.[3][4]
He was pardoned and released, along with the other 8 jailed Catalonia independence leaders, in June 2021.[5]
- ^ Bathgate, Rachel (20 December 2018). "Jailed Catalan leaders end hunger strike". catalannews.com. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ Congostrina, Alfonso L. (1 February 2019). "Catalan independence leaders moved to Madrid jails ahead of trial". El País. ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ Joaquim Forn llega al Ayuntamiento de Barcelona para obtener el acta de concejal (in Spanish)
- ^ Intervención de Joaquim Forn en el pleno de investidura de Ada Colau (in Spanish)
- ^ Jones, Sam (22 June 2021). "Spanish government pardons nine jailed Catalan leaders". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 September 2023.