Spain’s Supreme Court has blocked the appearance of political prisoners before an investigation commission in the Catalan parliament. Lawmakers summoned jailed leaders to appear before a commission looking into Spain’s application of direct rule in Catalonia, triggered by the government in Madrid following a declaration of independence on October 27, 2017.

Former ministers being prosecuted for the independence bid -Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Turull, Raül Romeva, Joaquim Forn, Josep Rull and Dolors Bassa- had all been called to give evidence to the commission in Parliament.

The commission says it was forced to adjourn the appearance of the jailed leaders after the Supreme Court extended until Wednesday the period for all parts of Parliament’s petition to hold the hearings to arrive.

Delaying strategy

However, left-wing and pro-independence parties issued a joint communication in which they accuse the court of adopting a “delaying strategy” to postpone the evidence given by the former ministers becoming public.

The cross-party manifesto also called on the court to quickly resolve the petition to hold the hearings “out of respect for Parliament.”