Catalan politicians denounce pretrial jail at UN

Four Catalan politicians preemptively imprisoned by Spanish courts for their role in the independence bid are bringing their cases to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, according to their lawyer Ben Emmerson.

All former ministers of the Catalan government that called a referendum and declared independence, Josep Rull, Raül Romeva and Dolors Bassa entered prison last March, while Joaquim Forn has been held behind bars since November.

They all face criminal charges of rebellion, an offence carrying sentences of up to 30 years in jail and implying the use of violence to achieve the independence of a region from Spain.

In an interview with the Catalan public radio, Emmerson referred to Germany’s recent decision to reject the extradition of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont under rebellion charges.