Four activists accused of terrorism freed on bail

Four Catalan pro-independence activists accused of terrorism and of having explosive devices in their possession were freed on bail after appearing in court on Tuesday.

The four defendants are members of the Committees in Defense of the Republic (CDR), a decentralized network of local protest groups created in the wake of the 2017 bid to hold a referendum and declare independence from Spain.

They were first arrested along with five other colleagues on September 23, 2019, as part of an anti-terrorism operation by Spain’s Guardia Civil police that took place in Sabadell and Mollet del Vallès, two towns in the outskirts of Barcelona.

The CDR activists were accused of belonging to a terrorist group and preparing explosive devices to be used when Spain’s Supreme Court announced the sentences for Catalonia’s political and social leaders during the independence push in 2017.

Following the nine arrests, two people were released shortly after, but the other seven spent three to three and a half months in provisional detention.

Due to the coronavirus health and safety measures, Spain’s National Court allowed the defendants to testify from local courts in Catalonia and avoid traveling to Madrid.

The National Court has to decide whether to move forward with the case and set a date for the trial or drop the charges.

Two accused in separate case

The trial of two other pro-independence activists started on Tuesday, with the defendants accused of throwing stones at Catalan Mossos police vans and hurting two officers during the October 2019 riots following the Supreme Court ruling.

The public prosecutor has requested 9-year sentences for both of them, with an additional 7,200 euro fine for the crime of public disorder.

The Catalan government is taking part in the trial as the private prosecutor and requests 3.5-year sentences for the defendants.