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The judges of the Supreme Court in charge of the trial of the Catalan separatists, at the opening of the trial, February 12, 2019 in Madrid. Emilio Naranjo / POOL / AFP

After four months of hearing, the trial of the twelve Catalan separatists is due to end this Wednesday, June 12. The Supreme Court ruled them for having organized in October 2017 an illegal referendum on the independence of Catalonia and proclaimed on this basis the sovereignty of this region of Spain. The prosecutor's office has demanded sentences ranging from 7 to 25 years in prison while the popular accusation calls for a cumulative sentence for all accused to 700 years in prison.

With corresponding note in Madrid, Diane Cambon

It is undoubtedly one of the most important lawsuits of the Spanish democracy which ends this Tuesday in Madrid. By its size first, more than a hundred witnesses called to the bar including former head of government Mariano Rajoy and some 600 accredited journalists.

But it is especially its political dimension that will mark the spirits. Much of the public 's view is unfair pre - trial detention for those detainees described as political prisoners, as is the prosecution' s charge of rebellion and popular accusation.

It will be necessary to wait until autumn to know the verdict. Former Regional Vice President Oriol Junqueras , the main accused in pre-trial detention for a year and a half, faces up to 25 years in prison, which would be the heaviest penalty.

► To read also: The day Catalonia declared its independence