Court provisionally rejects suspending prison privileges of two jailed independence leaders

A Catalan penitentiary court rejected suspending the prison privileges of two jailed pro-independence leaders, Carme Forcadell and Dolors Bassa.

The judges sided against the Spanish public prosecutor's request – last week, the institution requested to revoke the regular permits, which consisted of staying in prison only for four nights a week from Monday to Thursday.

Yet, judges are still deliberating on the prosecutor's appeal and have yet to make a final decision.

The leaders of the 2017 push to separate from Spain were granted the low category status as inmates barely a month ago, coinciding with the first day of campaigning for the Catalan election, and they were allowed to take part in political rallies. 

A day after the election was held on February 14, prosecutors requested their privileges be removed. 

The issue could end up in Spain's Supreme Court, and if the prosecutor’s request is upheld, it would be the second time in less than three months that the nine leaders have been stripped of their prison privileges shortly after receiving them.

With prison terms ranging from 9 to 13 years for the crime of sedition, the nine politicians and activists were sentenced for holding a referendum in defiance of Spanish authorities and attempting to create an independent republic in the fall of 2017.