Jailed Catalan leaders take their cases to the United Nations

Three Catalan leaders imprisoned in Madrid for pursuing independence will bring their cases to the United Nations (UN), in an attempt to raise international awareness of the prosecution of pro-independence politicians by the Spanish justice. Their defense will be aided by British lawyer Ben Emmerson.

Vice president Oriol Junqueras, MP Jordi Sànchez, and grassroots activist Jordi Cuixart face charges of rebellion for their role in Catalonia’s push for independence, which led to a declaration of independence last October, subsequently immediately suspended by Spain. Junqueras has been jailed since November 2 last year, while Sànchez and Cuixart have been behind bars since October 16.

According to Emmerson and his team, the preemptive imprisonment of the Catalan leaders is a “classic case of arbitrary political detention.” Emmerson said the charges “brought against them are unsustainable” because “there was no element of violence in the allegations” against them. “The charges are purely political,” he stated.