Jailed leaders condemn 'violated rights' on anniversary of imprisonment

On the anniversary of their imprisonment, Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sànchez hit out at the Spanish judiciary in letters sent to the RAC1 radio station.

Both claim their “rights to defense are being violated” and that there are no reasons for them to remain behind bars while waiting for their trial.

“My imprisonment and that of the others defines the viscerality, lack of impartiality, the prejudices, and the politicization of the judges in the Spanish Supreme Court and specifically judge Llarena [in charge of the independence judicial case],” says Jordi Sànchez, president at that time of ANC, another civic organization in favor of the Catalan Republic, and now an MP for Carles Puigdemont’s Junts per Catalunya.

Trial “international loudspeaker”

According to Cuixart, head of the Òmnium pro-independence civic organization, the trial “will act as an international loudspeaker making Spain look in the mirror in Europe.”

“The aim cannot be to leave prison, but to face the next attack from Spain in the only way we know in this country: united in diversity, across society, and with democratic radicalness,” added Cuixart.

Events leading to prison

The jailed activists also comment on their time in prison and the events one year ago that led to their current situation: the September 20, 2017 demonstration during Spanish police raids on Catalan public buildings, followed by the independence referendum 10 days later.