Catalan government on prison requests: ‘shameful attack on democracy’

The prison sentences Spain requested for pro-independence leaders on Friday sparked outrage among Catalan government officials, with some ministers calling the public prosecutor’s proposals "a shameful attack on democracy."   

The Catalan vice president, Pere Aragonès, said that the Spanish judiciary wanted to "condemn a whole people," in reference to all Catalans who took part in last year’s referendum and backed the declaration of independence for which politicians are being prosecuted.

Avui l'Estat espanyol ha escrit la seva sentència, però que sàpiguen que aquest procés és imparable, no ens aturaran per molts anys de presó. El sistema judicial espanyol continua alimentant la farsa i vol condemnar la voluntat democràtica de tot un poble.

— Pere Aragonès 🎗 (@perearagones) November 2, 2018

In total, Spain’s attorney general requested 177 years in prison for government ministers who helped organize the referendum, as well as the parliament speaker, who allowed a vote on independence, and two leading activists.

Oriol Junqueras, Aragonès’ predecessor as vice president and leader of the Esquerra Republicana (ERC) party, faces a request for 25 years in prison.

Territory minister Damià Calvet said via Twitter that the proposed prison sentences were a "shameful attack on democracy" and "revenge."

Foreign action minister, Ernest Maragall, urged Europe to "wake up," and told pro-independence supporters to “prepare for a winter of repression and injustice."

The mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, said she rejects "these baseless and disproportionate accusations. We are facing a setback in Spain’s rule of law, due to will for vengeance and not justice.” 

Meanwhile, CUP MP Vidal Aragonés criticized the proposed sentences, as well: "Spain wants to punish and make an example of those who were not the ones in charge, but the visible ones."