UN seeks release of three Catalans jailed for 2017 secession bid
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrar y Detention has asked Spain to seek the release from pre-trial jail of three Catalan separatists detained following Catalonia’s 2017 secession attempt.
In a non-binding opinion, the working group said that former Catalan regional vicep r e s i d e n t Or i o l Ju n q u e r a s , MP Jordi Sanchez and activist Jordi Cuixart were arbitrarily detained and their rights violated.
It also suggested that they should receive compensation for their time behind bars and that Spain should investigate their detentions.
The three are among a dozen separatist leaders on trial at Spain’s Supreme Court on a number of charges, including rebellion, for their roles in disobeying a court ban and holding a prohibited independence referendum as well as making a subsequent independence declaration in October 2017.
State prosecutors yesterday said they are upholding their proposed sentence of 25 years for Junqueras, with shor ter prop osed sentences for the other defendants.
Under Spanish law, suspects can be held in custody if they represent a flight risk, if the court believes they could commit possible fur ther crimes, or if there is a risk they could destroy evidence.
Other leaders of the secession bid, including former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont, fled the country and are fugitives from Spain, w h i l e t h e c u r r e n t C a t a l a n chief, Quim Torra, has promised to continue to push for independence.
The working group is made up of five independent, nonp a i d e x p e r t s a p p o i n t e d b y the Human Rights Council. Though they are not UN staff, their opinions are meant to pressure governments but are often ignored.
T h e r e w a s n o i m m e d i - a t e c o mment o n t h e wo r k - ing group’s opinion from the S p a n i s h g o ve r n m e n t . T h e opinion’s release comes one day after the European Court of Human Rights rejected a suit brought by Catalan sep - a r a t i s t M P s c l a i m i n g t h a t Spain’s top court violated their rights when it ruled to suspend a regional parliamentary session to declare independence two years ago.
In that decision, the European court said that Spain’s Cons t i t ut i o na l Cour t ’s d e c i s i o n had not violated their rights since its action was “aimed at protecting the constitutional order” and taken “in the interests of public safety [and] for the prevention of disorder”.
Junqueras and Puigdemont we r e b o t h r e c e n t l y e l e c t e d to the European Parliament, although they face legal hurdles to actually take their seats.
St Andrews University academic Clara Ponsati, 61, faced charges over the 2017 vote and was arres ted after handing herself in. Spain has dropped its extradition request.
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