500 MPs and former MPs from 25 countries demand the release of Catalonia’s former Parliament speaker

A big wave of international support for Carme Forcadell, imprisoned since March 23, arrives today. Five hundred MPs and former MPs from 25 countries have signed a manifesto to demand the release of Catalonia’s former Parliament speaker. The initiative has been promoted by three predecessors of Forcadell in the post.

The signatories include the vice-president of the European Parliament, Heidi Hautala, and the speakers of the parliaments of Wales, Flanders, the Faroe Islands and the Basque Country. Thirty-five MEPs have also joined, such as the co-chair of the Green Group, Ska Keller.

The manifesto will be presented tonight at the Parliament of Catalonia, with the attendance of Elin Jones, speaker of the National Assembly of Wales, representing all the chamber presidents who have signed it. Also present will be Joan Josep Nuet and Lluís Guinó, who were part of the Parliament Board during the presidency of Forcadell.