12 OTEGI MONDRAGON v. SPAIN JUDGMENT B. Merits 1. The parties’ submissions (a) The applicant 35. The applicant submitted firstly that the provision of the Criminal Code on which his conviction had been based (Article 490 § 3) was not worded with sufficient precision and clarity. The increased protection provided for by Article 490 § 3 of the Criminal Code had in reality been turned into an absolute defence of the constitutional monarchy, going beyond the defence of individuals’ honour and dignity. In the applicant’s view, such a broad interpretation of the provision concerned could not be said to be “prescribed by law” within the meaning of Article 10 § 2 of the Convention. 36. Furthermore, the interference had not pursued a “legitimate aim” within the meaning of Article 10 § 2, as it had been intended as symbolic punishment of any attempt to question the institution of the monarchy and, accordingly, the Constitution. 37. The applicant contended that his conviction had been neither proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued nor “necessary in a democratic society”. He referred to his own status as spokesperson for the Basque separatist parliamentary group Sozialista Abertzaleak and to the particular circumstances of the case, namely the closure of the Basque daily newspaper Euskaldunon Egunkaria and the outcry caused in the Basque Country by the allegations that the persons detained in connection with that operation had been tortured. His remarks had dealt with a topic of public interest, namely the use of torture by the Spanish security forces in the fight against terrorism, a practice confirmed by numerous international human rights organisations. As to the Supreme Court’s argument that his remarks had been without foundation since the proceedings relating to the complaints alleging torture had been discontinued, the applicant submitted firstly that he could not have known when he was making his remarks what the outcome of the criminal investigation would be, since the latter had taken place several months after the events; secondly, no final decision had been issued discontinuing the proceedings. In that connection, the applicant, referring to the judgment in Martinez Sala and Others v. Spain (no. 58438/00, § 160, 2 November 2004), stated that, in Spain, numerous complaints alleging torture were filed away without further action being taken although no detailed investigation had been carried out. Furthermore, the monarch had granted pardons under the Spanish Constitution to numerous members of the Spanish security forces convicted of torture. The applicant cited by way of example the decision of the United Nations Committee Against Torture in the case of Kepa Urra Guridi v. Spain