Jailed politician calls on government to grant semi-liberty regime to leaders

Jailed politician Jordi Turull has called on the Catalan government to grant him and the other eight 2017 referendum leaders behind bars the semi-liberty regime, which would allow them to spend most of their sentences outside prison. 

Prison officials recommended that he and and his colleagues serve medium category sentences ('segon grau,' in Catalan), the most common regime, which provides for limited privileges after they have served a quarter of their sentence, such as 36 days leave from prison every year. 

Yet, this recommendation must be ratified by the Catalan administration – which has powers over the prisons in the country – in the coming weeks, although any final decision could be challenged by the prosecutor. The Supreme Court, which tried the leaders, would have the final say in such a case. 

"Does the Catalan government consider that we have to continue locked up or that we can leave?" Turull asked in an interview with the Catalan News Agency (ACN) in Lledoners jail.