Back to Catalan prisons

Once the referendum trial in Madrid’s Supreme Court has finished, the nine political prisoners will be back to Catalan penal institutions on Wednesday. In one of Spain’s most crucial trials in decades, some of Catalonia’s most influential politicians and activists defended themselves during four months from accusations of violent rebellion, sedition, and misuse of public funds for their role in the 2017 independence bid.

After 52 sessions, the cross-examination of 12 defendants, and 422 witnesses, Supreme Court judges are not expected to issue a final verdict until September. With some pro-independence leaders having spent over 20 months in preemptive imprisonment, judges have repeatedly refused to let them free, but accepted transferring them from Madrid to Catalan prisons once they’re no longer required to attend trial hearings. The Spanish government has blatantly ignored the opinion issued by the UN’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention calling for the immediate release of the Catalan political prisoners.

For the seven men jailed in Madrid’s Soto del Real, the 3-day transfer will begin on Monday afternoon, with two stops on the way to Catalonia. The two women will leave Madrid’s Alcalá Meco and arrive in Catalonia on Wednesday.