Spain's prosecutor accuses Catalan authorities of influencing international coverage of referendum

The presence of the international media in Catalonia to cover last year's referendum is referenced in the Spanish general prosecutor's report on the reasons for demanding up to 177 years in prison for Catalan leaders involved in the independence bid. The report also accuses the executive of "pressuring" foreign correspondents with "partisan" information.  

The document refers to the International Press Center set up by the a media production group in Barcelona, so that the likes of 'The Guardian', 'Le Monde', the BBC and CNN, among others, had the "facilities" to "report live" on the vote, which was deemed illegal by Spain.

"The International Press and Broadcasting Center facilitated the main international media's offering of live information about the referendum in real time. This happened, among others, with German papers 'Bild' and 'Der Spiegel', the Italian 'La Reppublica', the Argentinian 'Clarín', French papers 'Le Monde' and 'Le Figaro', British BBC TV and the British paper 'The Guardian', as well as the US's 'Washington Post' and CNN," reads the report.

According to the prosecutor, there were cases of "information manipulation" during the referendum campaign, and the report says that the press center was used as a space for the government to organize "propaganda and electoral events," including "a press conference before the vote."

Quoting a report by Spain's delegation of Reporters Without Borders, the prosecution accuses the Catalan executive of "pressuring" international correspondents posted to Catalonia, using a "Whatsapp group" and "sending them partisan information, or suggesting they watch certain videos."