Pro-independence grass-root leaders are already in prison

Two Catalan independence leaders were jailed on Monday while awaiting trial for sedition charges. The president of the Catalan National Assembly, Jordi Sànchez, and the president of Òmnium Cultural, Jordi Cuixart, arrived at the Soto del Real prison in Madrid at around 11pm. According to Spanish law, they could spend at least two years in preventive prison.

Sànchez and Cuixart lead two of the biggest pro-independence organizations in Catalonia, responsible for organizing the massive and peaceful pro-Yes demonstrations of the last few years.

The judged said that they "seditiously" mobilized people on September 20 and 21, when fourteen high-ranking officials of the Catalan government were arrested. Thousands gathered peacefully in the streets, then, to protest against the arrests.

Sànchez and Cuixart are also accused of asking citizens to protest in front of polling stations on October 1.

The same judge also decided to release without passport the chief of the Catalan police, Josep-Lluís Trapero, accused of not having done enough to stop voters from participating in the independence referendum.

In a report sent to the judge, the Spanish Guardia Civil police accuse the Mossos of failing to stop the vote from taking place, thus prompting the intervention of Spanish law enforcement agencies. Their violent crackdown on referendum voters left 893 injured, according to official figures released by Catalan government.

The document states that individual officers are not to blame, and points instead to the Catalan police chief, Josep Lluís Trapero, who allegedly acted “in direct connection” with Catalan pro-independence leaders — such as the president and the vice president — as part of a “strategic committee” with the ultimate goal of declaring independence.
According to the report, this “committee” also included the leaders of the two civil society organizations: Jordi Sánchez and Jordi Cuixart.

Sedition charges

Under Spanish criminal law, a sedition conviction carries jail sentences of between 4 and 15 years. According to article 544 of the Criminal Code, sedition charges may be attributed to those that rise up “publicly and tumultuously” to prevent the application of laws or the work of authorities “by force or illegally”.