Spanish judicial council split blocks statement backing judge Beatriz Biedma
Progressive members of Spain's General Council of the Judiciary refused to debate or approve a conservative-backed communiqué supporting judge Beatriz Biedma, who now has a police escort.
A split over the proposed statement
On Wednesday, 14 October 2026, the plenary of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) failed to approve a communiqué supporting judge Beatriz Biedma, who led the investigation involving David Sánchez, brother of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The ten conservative members presented the text during the plenary's question period. It expressed "profunda preocupación" over alleged harassment, surveillance or intimidation against the magistrate and her circle. According to a conservative press note, the nine progressive members opposed both the debate and the approval of the text, so no vote took place. The conservatives said they could not understand the reasons for the opposition or the decision to give up what they called an essential function of the council, the defence of judicial independence.
Progressive members explain their opposition
Inés Herrero and Ricardo Bodas said they would not sign the statement, arguing that it would interfere with the investigation being carried out by the National Court. The progressive side said the draft reached them by WhatsApp at 8:30 that morning, while the conservatives had it since the previous afternoon, and that this was not the right way to proceed. They also argued that, if the matter was so serious, they should have been called the previous afternoon to explain it and decide together what to do. Conservative sources, for their part, said the progressives had refused even to discuss the matter.
Perelló suspends the plenary
CGPJ president Isabel Perelló, who also heads the Supreme Court, asked that the communiqué be approved unanimously and urged the two groups to sit down and negotiate. LaSexta reported that she suspended the plenary to try to reach that consensus. The talks did not produce an agreement, and the text was never put to a vote. The conservative bloc then issued its own note blaming the progressive members for the failure.
Police protection for the judge
On 13 October, the Interior Ministry assigned a police escort to Biedma, fearing she could become a victim of the mafias after she joined the proceedings as a party in the court of judge Santiago Pedraz. Conservative members described her as targeted by what they call the PSOE's 'cloacas', and Biedma had denounced before the National Court that she suffered harassment while working on the case in Badajoz. The draft itself did not establish facts or responsibilities, which it said belong exclusively to the courts.
What the proposed statement said
The conservative draft said the council would act firmly within its legal powers if any attempt to disturb judicial independence arose. It also aimed to send a message to all judges that they were not alone in defending their independence. One passage of the text read as follows.
No judge should exercise their function under fear, pressure or intimidation. Judicial independence is not a privilege of those who judge, but a guarantee for all citizens.
The conservative members framed the statement as a response to information about pressure on judges, and they presented their own refusal to vote as a failure to defend the council's core function.