Protest against the Spanish Constitutional Court – main hearings begin in early 2019 Two of the nine imprisoned Catalan independence activists went on an indefinite hunger strike on Saturday. Jordi Sànchez, the former president of the Catalan National Assembly, and Jordi Turull, the former minister and spokesman for the Catalan government, are protesting against the Spanish Constitutional Court.
It intentionally delayed all appeals by the detainees in connection with the investigation into rebellion, rebellion and embezzlement of public funds in connection with the independence referendum of 1 October 2017. The vote was held despite a ban by the central government in Madrid. The trial against 18 politicians and activists will begin in the new year before the Supreme Court in Madrid. The defendants, including numerous ministers of exiled Catalan ex-Prime Minister Carles Puigdemont, face up to 55 years imprisonment, according to the right-wing party Vox, which acts as co-plaintiff. The prosecutor demands up to 25 years.
Sànchez and Turull were elected to the Catalan Parliament a year ago. Both candied for the post of prime minister and failed in judicial decisions. „We do not want a special treatment, but also no discrimination,“ says a statement from the two. In total, the defendants‘ lawyers filed a dozen complaints with the Constitutional Court.
This has all accepted, but so far no decision like. No appeal can be brought against judgments of the Supreme Court. The way to the European Court of Justice is the only one left. And this is blocked, as long as the Spanish Constitutional Court has not decided. The first complaint is dated 22 November 2017.
Judge rejected Among other things, the defendants have dismissed several judges as biased because they were close to the conservative former governing party Partido Popular, in whose term the referendum and the beginning of prosecution fell close or listened to her directly , In extreme cases, they could pass judgment before the Constitutional Court examines the applications for bias. Significantly more than 160,000 people have signed up with Sànchez and Turull in just 24 hours via online petition.
In addition to the Catalan parties that support independence, the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, also took the hunger strike. Madrid-based socialist Pedro Sánchez shows no understanding of the action. „There are no reasons for the hunger strike, they will have a fair trial,“ he said.
The debate over the prisoners threatens to overshadow the celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the Spanish post-Franco constitution on 6 December.
