The long-awaited trial of the leaders of the Catalan independence movement is underway. The two men helped organise large pro-independence protests in the days before the October 1, 2017, referendum and are charged with sedition and rebellion. The 12 separatist leaders face up to 25 years in jail on charges of rebellion, sedition and misappropriation of public funds. Both the Spanish Attorney General’s Office and the Solicitor General of Spain asked for 7 years for Mundo. Prosecutors have called for sentences of up to 25 years. They face up to 25 years behind bars on charges of rebellion and other offences for pushing an independence referendum in October 2017 in defiance of a court ban, and for a brief declaration of independence. Junqueras, a former history teacher, mayor, and member of the European Parliament, still heads the ERC from prison, giving him considerable political sway in national Spanish politics. Carles Mundo, a lawyer, former counsellor of justice under Puigdemont and ERC member, was imprisoned along with Junqueras in November 2017 following the independence declaration. A highly anticipated court case begins in Spain on Tuesday, as 12 Catalan leaders face trial for their alleged role in their region’s failed bid for independence. Both the Spanish Attorney General’s Office and the Solicitor General of Spain have asked for a sentence of seven years. Oriol Junqueras, the former vice president, is the highest-ranking member of the former Catalan government to stand trial before the Spanish Supreme Court. Borras, who was the counsellor of government and institutional relations under Puigdemont, has been charged with disobedience and embezzlement. Forn has a long political history in Barcelona, serving as a member of the city’s municipal council since 1999 and first deputy mayor from 2011 to 2015. Twelve defendants will stand trial before the Spanish Supreme Court, According to court filings, their lawyers intend to claim that the Catalan separatists are being prosecuted for their. They were originally accused of sedition by the attorney general in September, and their imprisonment was ordered on October 16, 2017, by Spanish judge Carmen Lamela. Spain’s Supreme Court is expected to issue a verdict in the trial of Catalan separatist leaders over their role in an independence referendum in 2017. The two Jordis are pro-independence civil society leaders – Sanchez of the ANC and Cuixart of the OC. Andreu Van den Eynde, a lawyer for Mr. Junqueras who opened the proceedings, cast the case as a matter of free expression, the right to protest and the right to vote. imprisonment, while the Solicitor General of Spain demanded 11 years. The secessionist conflict has split Catalan society, but it has also helped reshape Spain’s politics. If a majority of lawmakers reject it, including Catalan lawmakers who have so far backed the prime minister, he will almost certainly be forced to call elections. Catalan secessionist leaders charged with rebellion were moved from Barcelona to Madrid for the ‘trial of the century’. The defendants’ supporters see the conditions as reinforcing the independence movement’s complaints about an oppressive central government. The Spanish Attorney General’s Office is asking for 17 years‘ imprisonment for both, while the Solicitor General of Spain demanded eight years. Twelve Catalan separatist leaders went on trial in Madrid on Tuesday over a failed independence bid that laid bare historical divisions and triggered Spain's biggest political crisis in decades. Most of the politicians to stand trial come from two political parties: the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) and the centrist Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT). imprisonment for both, while the Solicitor General of Spain demanded eight years. Spain’s Public Prosecutor called the 2017 Catalan independence push “a coup d’état” during the closing arguments on Tuesday – at the Supreme Court trial of 12 Catalan political leaders. The Spanish Attorney General’s Office is asking for 25 years’ imprisonment, while the Solicitor General of Spain demanded 12 years. To stay in office, he needs to maintain the support of the separatist parties that have governed in Catalonia, the wealthy northeastern region of Spain, since 2015. The trial against Catalan independence leaders, set to have a major political impact on Spain, is starting on February 12. Carme Forcadell, the former president of the Catalan parliament, was charged with rebellion and accused of voting for independence ahead of the declaration of independence. Who are the 12 Catalan leaders facing years in prison? Catalan separatist leaders on trial in Spain. Twelve separatist Catalan leaders appeared in Spain's Supreme Court in Madrid on Tuesday, facing charges including rebellion and misuse of public funds. But Quim Torra, the leader of the regional government, has insisted that his party would not back the national budget unless Mr. Sánchez agreed to consider another independence referendum, which the prime minister has refused to do. Politico in an interview he will “only consider acquittal” and will not ask for a pardon if found guilty. Catalan Trial: click here full details of those accused, the charges, and the accusers. MADRID — The simmering conflict over Catalan independence roared back to the center of Spanish attention on Tuesday, as 12 people went on trial for their roles in … Te cuentan que subir a un coche es delito de rebelión y 20 años de cárcel. “We have always been betting on political dialogue within our constitutional framework, but we have to make clear the framework — nothing outside our constitutional order,” she said. But budgetary defeat on Wednesday could force Mr. Sánchez to call elections before the summer, which means they could take place before verdicts are made public. The defendants face a combined total of roughly 200 years in prison if they are given maximum sentences. A verdict is expected in the trial of Catalan leaders for their role in the region’s failed independence bid from Spain in October 2017. Mr. Sánchez’s attempt to renew political dialogue with the separatists was recently labeled as treason by the leader of Spain’s conservative party, Pablo Casado. According to court filings, their lawyers intend to claim that the Catalan separatists are being prosecuted for their Catalan nationalist political beliefs and the act of voting. Romeva told Reuters news agency the imprisoned, “see the trial as an opportunity to address public opinion and society in Catalonia, Spain and obviously at an international level.”. The most high-profile of the Catalan leaders on trial is former Vice-President Oriol Junqueras. With Spain’s government hanging in the balance, the Supreme Court is under intense pressure to demonstrate that it can remain impartial and above politics in a case that has ignited passions and recriminations. He is charged with rebellion and embezzlement. Twelve Catalan separatist leaders, most of them members of the former regional government, were convicted by Spain's Supreme Court on Monday for their role in a controversial independence bid in 2017. Twelve people, ten of them pro-independence Catalan politicians, and two others, leaders of major pro-independence civil groups in 2017, are accused of a series of offences including rebellion and sedition, related to the political crisis centred on Catalonia. In the surrounding streets, a few protesters, some of whom carried Spanish flags, denounced Mr. Sánchez for his handling of the Catalan conflict and called for his ouster — a small echo of the anti-government demonstration that drew tens of thousands of people on Sunday. Outside the Supreme Court building, television crews under heavy police surveillance jostled for space; some 600 journalists have been accredited to cover the trial. “We’re trying to stay focused on this trial,” he said, “but we know that when politics change, everything can change.”, Catalan Leaders’ Trial Starts, and Spain’s Government Fights for Its Survival. As Sarah Morice reports the court case is being described as the most important since Spain's return to democracy after General Franco's death. “I rely on the judges to do what the politicians haven’t done and put an end to any attempt to destroy Spain,” said Santiago Pulido, a house painter, who held a sign with a drawing of two defendants with devil’s horns. Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont is not on trial because he fled Spain in late October 2017 and has avoided extradition requests. The Spanish Attorney General’s Office is asking for 17 years‘ imprisonment, while the Solicitor General of Spain demanded 10 years. Four hours earlier, in a chilly pre-dawn scene, television camera operators and photographers started gathering, to get a good position, outside of the stately 18th-century courthouse. The Spanish Attorney General’s Office is asking for 16 years‘ imprisonment, while the Solicitor General of Spain demanded 11 years. The trial of 12 Catalan independence politicians and activists over their role in the 2017 attempt to break Catalonia from Spain started on Tuesday at Madrid’s Supreme Court. Catalan protesters block roads over Spanish cabinet meeting (2:40), US Capitol riot: Democrats to introduce Trump impeachment article, UK coronavirus cases top 3 million as death toll passes 80,000, National carriers announce resumption of Qatar-Saudi air travel, Beyond Capitol riot, Trump voter fraud claims leave their mark, Woman who falsely accused Black teen of theft is arrested, Missing Indonesian plane feared crashed as debris found, Trump’s incitement, plan to skip inauguration recalls Civil War, Republican Senator calls on Trump to resign, Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. The defendants, he argued, have already faced legal proceeding in which “every constitutional right has been restricted.”. The defendants are being tried for their role in the failed push for independence in 2017. Catalan politicians face life sentences. Testimonies of Catalan leaders on trial in 12 quotes . Oriol Junqueras is one of a dozen former political leaders facing trial over his region's independence bid in October 2017. Opponents of secessionism, on the other hand, hope that prison sentences for Catalan leaders will deter illegal attempts to break up Spain. Raul Romeva, a Catalan politician, former MEP, economist and analyst, was the head of foreign affairs under Puigdemont. Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have asked for their release. Rull, a PDeCAT member and parliamentarian for 20 years, was the counsellor for territory and sustainability under Puigdemont. Joaquim Forn, the former Catalan minister of interior who oversaw carrying out the attorney general’s orders in Catalonia, is also charged with rebellion and embezzlement. Opposition politicians want Mr. Sánchez to hold a general election on May 26, when Spain is already to hold municipal and regional elections, as well as votes for the European Parliament. Madrid trial of separatists seen as the most important since Spain’s return to democracy The 12 separatist leaders sit at their trial at the Spanish supreme court in Madrid. As 12 Catalan separatist leaders prepare to go on trial in Madrid, Spain has been forced to defend the independence and impartiality of its courts. Nine of them were handed jail terms and three were fined Catalan vice president: 13 years The Catalan separatist leaders were indicted on charges that include rebellion, after holding an independence referendum and then declaring independence in October 2017 — moves the Spanish courts ruled unconstitutional. SHARE. On Wednesday, Mr. Sánchez’s minority Socialist government faces a crucial parliamentary vote on his national budget. The trial, at Madrid's Supreme Court, follows Catalonia's independence referendum and failed attempt to secede from Spain in October 2017. The two Jordis are pro-independence civil society leaders – Sanchez of the ANC, The Spanish Attorney General’s Office is asking for 17 years. Santi Vila was a long-time member of the CDC and subsequently PDeCAT. Both the Spanish Attorney General’s Office and. MADRID — The simmering conflict over Catalan independence roared back to the center of Spanish attention on Tuesday, as 12 people went on trial for their roles in the botched secession attempt of 2017, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez scrambled to keep the issue from toppling his government. Basque people hold a sign reading "you will never walk alone, we are with you. imprisonment, while the Solicitor General of Spain demanded 11 years for Bassa. Many of its former members went on to join PDeCAT. Hundreds of witnesses will be heard. Dolors Bassa is an educator and trade unionist who began her political career in 2007. The trial of 12 Catalan separatists has begun in Spain. The Spanish Attorney General’s Office is asking for 16 years‘ imprisonment, while the Solicitor General of Spain demanded 11 years for Bassa. Bassa was charged with rebellion and embezzlement for using her ministry to assume part of the costs related to the independence referendum. Vila paid a 50,000 euro ($57,000) bail in November 2017 and resigned from PDeCAT in June 2018. The eagerly anticipated trial before the Spanish Supreme Court in Madrid has drawn enormous attention and is being broadcast live on national television, but it could soon be overshadowed by the political crisis unfolding just blocks away, in Parliament. Twelve people are accused of calling a referendum and declaring independence in 2017 despite Spain’s opposition, including grassroots activists and some of Catalonia’s top political leaders. Borras, who was the counsellor of government and institutional relations under Puigdemont, has been charged with disobedience and embezzlement. He was charged with embezzlement and disobedience. Junqueras told Politico in an interview he will “only consider acquittal” and will not ask for a pardon if found guilty. The centrist CDC was the foremost secessionist party until its members voted to dissolve and reform in 2016, partly due to its many corruption scandals. Both the Spanish Attorney General’s Office and the Solicitor General of Spain have asked for a seven-year sentence. Rull was accused of playing a “significant” role in the independence movement since 2015, as well as stopping Spanish national police from carrying out efforts to stop the independence referendum. More than a year has passed since Catalonia’s regional parliament voted to declare independence from Spain following a contested referendum that saw Spanish police violently disperse Catalan voters. The remaining three had been free on bail. He was the counsellor of business and culture at the time of the independence referendum and has been charged with embezzlement and disobedience in relation to his alleged involvement. She was accused of “medullary” involvement as the former president of ANC, a position she held from 2012 to 2015. Romeva told Reuters news agency the imprisoned “see the trial as an opportunity to address public opinion and society in Catalonia, Spain and obviously at an international level.”, The Catalan leaders are accused of crimes “we have not committed”, said Romeva, adding: “That is why the only possible sentence is [an] acquittal.”. The Spanish Attorney General’s Office is asking for 16 years‘ imprisonment for Romeva, while the Solicitor General of Spain demanded 11 years. MADRID — After listening to 422 witnesses in four months, the Spanish Supreme Court on Wednesday closed the trial of 12 leaders of the Catalan independence movement accused … The case was tried by seven judges and was chaired by judge Manuel Marchena. He faces charges of rebellion and embezzlement and is accused of pushing forward with the referendum in spite of understanding the “grave risk” of violence related to it. Catalan secessionist leaders charged with rebellion were moved from Barcelona to Madrid for the ‘trial of the century’. He was released on bail in December 2017 after winning re-election in the regional vote called by the Spanish government. According to court filings, their lawyers intend to claim the Catalan separatists are being prosecuted for their political beliefs, such as Catalan nationalism, and the act of voting. Protests as Catalan leaders face trial: in pictures. Insurrection, violence, uprising, and coercion. 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