- Title: Catalan regional leader demands amnesty for convicted separatists
- Date: 14th October 2019
- Summary: BARCELONA, SPAIN (OCTOBER 14, 2019) (REUTERS) CATALAN REGIONAL LEADER QUIM TORRA ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE TORRA AND MEMBERS OF CATALAN REGIONAL CABINET POSING (SOUNDBITE) (English) CATALAN REGIONAL LEADER QUIM TORRA SAYING: "Today individuals who always acted in a strictly democratic and absolutely peaceful manner have been sentenced to prison between 9 and 13 years. Convicting them is an insult to democracy and a show of condemnation to Catalan society because all of them are either social leaders or individuals who acted based on a political commitment in line with a programme on which they stood for elections." MEMBERS OF CATALAN GOVERNMENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) CATALAN REGIONAL LEADER QUIM TORRA SAYING: "The Catalan government and I personally reject this verdict because we consider them unfair and anti-democratic and because they are part of a political trial and in a campaign of legal action against Catalonia's right to self-determination and against the independence movement. Now, today more than ever, we stand by their families because today more than ever we feel a sense of fraternal solidarity with those convicted by the Supreme Court." TORRA AND CABINET POSING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CATALAN REGIONAL LEADER QUIM TORRA SAYING: "We demand the end of repression, the freedom for the political prisoners and those in exile, we demand an amnesty as the final stage for all those who have been persecuted. The way to solve conflicts is always through dialogue, a vote and freedom." TORRA SHAKING HANDS WITH CABINET MEMBERS TORRA SHAKING HANDS WITH FORMER CATALAN PRESIDENT ARTUR MAS
- Embargoed: 28th October 2019 10:39
- Keywords: Catalonia independence Spain's Supreme court veredict jailed catalan separatist leaders Catalan regional leader Quim Torra Torra amnesty
- Location: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- City: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001B12IVYF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The leader of the Spanish region of Catalonia demanded amnesty for separatist leaders convicted by the Supreme Court on Monday (October 14) for their roles in a failed bid to declare independence from Spain in 2017.
Torra said the Catalan regional government did not accept the sentence and considered it an "insult to democracy".
Spain's Supreme Court sentenced nine separatist leaders to between nine and 13 years in prison for sedition over their role in a failed independence bid, triggering protests across the region.
Three other defendants who were also on trial for their involvement in the October 2017 referendum held in spite of a ban and a short-lived independence declaration, were found guilty only of disobedience and not sentenced to prison.
(Production: Miguel Gutierrez) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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