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Nine of the twelve Catalan leaders tried in Spain for the October 2017 self-determination referendum and the subsequent proclamation of independence were sentenced by the Supreme Court to nine to thirteen years in prison. Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont denounces an "aberration".
The judges of the Supreme Court have decided. They strongly condemned the leaders of the separatists tried for having organized on 1 October 2017, despite the prohibition of justice, a referendum of self-determination, peppered with police violence. On October 27, 2017, they proclaimed the independence of Catalonia voted by the Catalan Parliament.
Former Catalan regional vice president Oriol Junqueras was sentenced to 13 years in prison for sedition and misappropriation of public funds, the heaviest sentence for the 12 defendants. The judges, however, dismissed the charge of rebellion as a crime against the Constitution. The prosecutor's office had required up to 25 years in prison.
Eight other separatists have been sentenced to between 9 and 12 years in prison for sedition, and some also for embezzlement of public funds: among them the former Catalan Parliament Speaker Carme Forcadell , the leaders of the powerful ANC and Omnium independentist associations Cultural, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart and five former regional "ministers".
These nine separatists have been in pre-trial detention for some two years. The other three are fined for disobedience. Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont reacted very quickly by denouncing an " aberration ", saying it was " time to react ". Oriol Junqueras, heavily condemned promised to return " even stronger ".
This long-awaited verdict is likely to set fire to Catalonia, two years after the referendum banned by Madrid.