Ai Weiwei visits Catalan activist in prison

Chinese artist and dissident says it’s "ironic that there are political prisoners in today’s Europe"

Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei (by Natàlia Segura)
Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei (by Natàlia Segura) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

December 18, 2018 02:52 PM

Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei visited Catalan activist Jordi Cuixart in prison, where he’s held in pre-trial detention for his role in last year’s referendum and declaration of independence.

"It’s quite ironic that there are political prisoners in today’s Europe, imprisoned for over a year without a trial," said Ai after leaving the Lledoners penitentiary in central Catalonia on Friday.  "This is certainly not an acceptable situation, as it totally violates the essential meaning of a civilized and democratic society".

FOLLOW CATALAN NEWS ON WHATSAPP!

Get the day's biggest stories right to your phone