Political prisoners?
Violent clashes over Catalan separatist leaders' prison terms
Chaos at Barcelona airport as protesters react to sentencing over 2017 bid for independence
The Catalan independence crisis erupted again on Monday as police and protesters clashed at Barcelona airport hours after the Spanish supreme court jailed nine Catalan separatist leaders over their roles in the failed bid for secession two years ago.Protesters took to the streets, with many gathering at Barcelona’s El Prat airport after the court acquitted the nine defendants of the charge of violent rebellion but convicted them variously of sedition, misuse of public funds and disobedience.
By late afternoon, thousands of protesters had answered a call from the Tsunami Democràtic movement designed to bring the airport to a standstill.
Thousands set off by car, train and metro. When police closed the station, even more made the three-and-a-half hour journey on foot. Several people were injured as police baton-charged protesters on the concourse of Terminal 1, the main international terminal. Foam bullets were reported to have been fired and video emerged of national and the regional Catalan police beating demonstrators and attacking journalists.
Thirteen people received medical attention and more than 60 flights were cancelled.
Tsunami Democràtic later claimed to be trying to use cars to bring Madrid’s Barajas airport to a similar standstill. On Monday morning, Catalonia’s former vice-president Oriol Junqueras was convicted of sedition and misuse of public funds and sentenced to 13 years in prison. He was also banned from holding public office for 13 years.
The former Catalan foreign minister Raül Romeva, labour minister Dolors Bassa and regional government spokesman Jordi Turull were each convicted of the same offences and sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment and handed 12-year bans on holding office.
Carme Forcadell, a former speaker of the Catalan parliament, was sentenced to 11 and a half years, while the former interior minister Joaquim Forn and territorial minister Josep Rull got 10 and a half years each.
Two influential pro-independence grassroots activists, Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sànchez, were found guilty of sedition and given nine-year sentences.
Three other independence leaders were found guilty of disobedience and handed fines and bans from holding office.
The four-month trial heard from 422 witnesses and investigated the events that triggered the country’s worst political crisis since it returned to democracy after the death of General Franco.
Less than five hours after the seven judges’ verdicts were announced, an international arrest warrant was reissued for the former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, who spearheaded the push for independence. The warrant said Puigdemont, who fled into self-imposed exile in Belgium to avoid arrest by the Spanish authorities, was wanted for alleged sedition and misuse of public funds.
Junqueras urged supporters not to give up on Catalan independence. “We’ll return stronger and with even more belief than ever,” he tweeted. “Thanks to everyone, keep fighting because we will keep fighting for ever.”
Sànchez, a regional MP and former president of the influential grassroots Catalan National Assembly, said his nine-year sentence would not dent his optimism nor his belief in an independent Catalonia. He made a plea for calm. “Let’s express ourselves without fear and move forward, non-violently, towards freedom,” he tweeted.
Spain’s acting prime minister, the socialist leader Pedro Sánchez, said his government respected the supreme court’s decision, which he said met all the requirements of due process, transparency and separation of powers.
“Nobody is above the law,” he said. “In a democracy like Spain, nobody is subject to trial for his or her ideas or politics but rather for criminal conduct as provided by the law.”
Sánchez said the Catalan independence movement had tried to subvert the Spanish constitution and had created a fracture within Catalan society “by refusing to recognise the majority who oppose independence”.
Comments
I had just read the title of this article “Political prisoners?” and I began to swear immediately. I thought that, as always, the Guardian came back to despise Spanish people, this country, his democracy, his rule of law, his Justice and so on. Of course, the Guardian thinks that the United Kingdom is superior to Spain and it doesn´t dare to write: “Political prisoners?” in United Kingdom. Never.
However, it looks like that it´s the title only, because the text restricts to report about the trial of Catalans delinquents and about protesters taking to the streets and Barcelona´s El Prat airport. It said that national and the regional Catalan police beat demonstrators and attacked journalists. Thirteen people received medical attention, but we don´t know how many policemen were injured by protesters.
I´m surprised the Guardian refered to secession and it said that Spain returned to democracy. I surprised too that it quoted Pedro Sánchez when he said that nobody is subject to trial for his or her ideas or politics and that Catalan independences want to subvert the Spanish constitution what the majority of Catalans recognizes.
I mean the claim is normal, but the title is not good and I mean about the trial that the punishment is soft, that verdict is unfair because everyone has seen their crime in telly, that there was violence two years ago when these delinquents wanted to drag the majority of Cataluña and Spain to the abyss. I would like that these delinquents were five years, at least, in jail, but I know that it´s very difficult because there isn´t will.
See you.
I wrote the title "Political Prisoners?" - don't blame the Guardian. I really should have omitted the question mark.
You are familiar with my strongly-held opinions on the Catalan question so I will refrain from adding fuel to the fire.
I had just read the title of this article “Political prisoners?” and I began to swear immediately. I thought that, as always, the Guardian once again began to despise Spanish people, this country, its democracy, its rule of law, its Justice and so on. Of course, the Guardian thinks that the United Kingdom is superior to Spain and it doesn´t dare to write: “Political prisoners?” in the United Kingdom. Never. (I'm no defender of the Guardian but José - come on. Yaaaaaaaawn!)
However, it looks as if that it´s only the title, because the text restricts itself to reporting about the trial of Catalan delinquents and about protesters taking to the streets and Barcelona´s El Prat airport. It said that the national and regional Catalan police beat demonstrators and attacked journalists. Thirteen people received medical attention, but we don´t know how many policemen were injured by protesters. (Another long yawn!)
I´m surprised the Guardian referred to secession and it said that Spain returned to democracy. I was surprised too that it quoted Pedro Sánchez when he said that nobody is subject to trial for his or her ideas or politics and that Catalan independence supporters want to subvert the Spanish constitution which is what the majority of Catalans recognize.
I mean the claim (not sure what you mean) is normal, but the title is not good and I mean about the trial that the punishment is lenient, that verdict is unfair because everyone has seen their crime on telly, that there was violence two years ago when these delinquents wanted to drag the majority of Cataluña and Spain into the abyss. I wish these delinquents were sentenced to at least five years in jail, but I know that it´s unlikely because there isn´t the will.