Government says jailed Jordis have committed 'no crime' and calls for their release

"Every day that passes we see how the Spanish government perpetuates this injustice and this torture," was the government spokeswoman's reaction on Tuesday to the anniversary of the ongoing imprisonment of pro-independence leaders, Jordi Sánchez and Jordi Cuixart.

Elsa Artadi accused the Spanish authorities of "persecuting political ideas" by keeping Cuixart, the head of Òmnium Cultural, and Sànchez, former head of the Catalan National Assembly and now an MP, in pre-trial prison.

The two activists have now spent a full year in custody awaiting trial over the events last autumn that led to the independence referendum on October 1. Both men are charged with rebellion, and have become the focus of a widespread campaign calling for their release.

"They have committed no crime and should be here among us. The persecution of political ideas continues. This is not a search for justice but rather a search for vengeance against the independence leaders and movement," said Artadi.

Imprisonment "disproportionate," says PSC

Meanwhile, the Catalan branch of Spain's ruling Socialist party, PSC, admitted that the continued imprisonment of the pro-independence leaders is "disproportionate," although PSC spokeswoman, Eva Granados, refused to "evaluate the judicial situation."

"We want the justice system to do its work, to leave the judges and prosecutors alone and to devote ourselves to our own work," she said, adding that the main priority now is to "normalize the situation the sooner the better."

Cs: They have had "opportunities and warnings"

As for the main opposition party in the Parliament, Ciutadans (Cs), its spokesman rejected any sympathy for the prisoners, insisting that Cuixart and Sànchez had received "more opportunities and more warnings" from the Spanish authorities than others in their situation.

According to Cs' Carlos Carrizosa, pre-trial detention can last for four years, and he pointed out that there were many people in Spain in the same situation as the two pro-independence leaders. "They do not deserve special treatment just because they are politicians," he said.

Catalan situation "unsustainable," says PP

Pablo Casado, the head of Spain's main unionist party, the People's Party (PP), said "the situation in Catalonia is unsustainable and I don't know what the [Spanish] government is waiting for to bring order there," adding that direct rule should be reimposed on Catalonia.

Casado called on Socialist government ministers to stop making statements favorable to the jailed leaders, and argued for greater central control of prisons in Catalonia: "We are already seeing how the prisons in Catalonia are under a completely discretionary regime," he said.