'It was a violent coup d'etat': Public prosecutor justifies rebellion charges

Spain's public prosecutor has branded the 2017 independence push "a coup d'etat" during their closing arguments in the Supreme Court trial of 12 Catalan political leaders from that period.

Insurrection, violence, uprising, and coercion. Attorney Javier Zaragoza mapped out the road to independence culminating with the referendum and the declaration of independence, using these terms in an effort to convince the judge that nine of the prosecuted officials should be sentenced to up to 25 years in jail for rebellion.

"It was a serious attack on the foundations of the constitution with illegal, coercive methods, using violence when needed," he said on Tuesday morning.

The prosecutor claimed that leaders in the dock sought to "revoke, suspend or modify the Spanish constitution."