- Title: Tension in Catalonia ahead of landmark ruling on Catalan independence trial
- Date: 14th October 2019
- Summary: BARCELONA, SPAIN (OCTOBER 14, 2019) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF CATALONIA'S REGIONAL GOVERNMENT HEADQUARTERS WITH BANNER OVER ENTRANCE READING IN CATALAN, "FREEDOM OF OPINION AND EXPRESSION" CATALAN SENYERA FLAG AND SPANISH FLAG VARIOUS OF BANNER READING IN CATALAN "FREEDOM OF OPINION AND EXPRESSION" HANGING FROM REGIONAL GOVERNMENT HEADQUARTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CIVIL SERVANT EDUARZO ALONZO, 57, SAYING: "We expect a hard sentence that will serve to calm the moods of many Spaniards who want some sort of revenge. But if they think that with this kind of sentence they are going to reduce separatism, they are wrong. The only thing they are going to achieve is that, today, they will create thousands and thousands of new separatists." SIGN HANGING FROM BUILDING READING IN CATALAN "FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION" PEOPLE WALKING IN THE STREET CATALAN SEPARATIST 'ESTELADA' FLAG HANGING FROM BALCONY, BANNER HANGING READING IN ENGLISH "SELF-DETERMINATION IS A RIGHT. NOT A CRIME" BANNER HANGING READING IN ENGLISH "SELF-DETERMINATION IS A RIGHT. NOT A CRIME" VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING ON BARCELONA'S PEDESTRIAN "LA RAMBLA" (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SHOP OWNER MERITXELL, 47, SAYING: "Well, people are very stressed (about this) but also people are very tired. We are tired of all this, a lot of things have happened in two years and the economy has been affected. So, yes, there will be demonstrations but I don't think there will be violence or anything like that. There will simply be some protests and that's it. I hope is over quickly because we need normality now." NEWSPAPER KIOSK FRONT PAGES OF NEWSPAPERS FRONT PAGE OF 'LA VANGUARDIA' READING IN SPANISH "The 1-O (reference to October 1 banned referendum) sentence opens a new era for separatism" / FRONT PAGE OF 'EL PERIODICO' NEWSPAPER READING IN SPANISH "THE 1-O sentence opens a new political cycle" HEADLINE OF 'LA VANGUARDIA' READING IN SPANISH "The 1-O sentence opens a new era for separatism" HEADLINE OF 'EL PERIODICO' NEWSPAPER READING IN SPANISH "THE 1-O sentence opens a new political cycle." FRONT PAGE OF 'ARA' NEWSPAPER READING IN CATALAN "The keys of the sentence against the 'Proces leaders" / FRONT PAGE OF 'ABC' NEWSPAPER READING IN SPANISH "Separatism prepares to digest the sentence" HEADLINE OF 'ARA' NEWSPAPER READING IN CATALAN "The keys of the sentence against the 'Proces leaders"
- Embargoed: 28th October 2019 07:16
- Keywords: Catalonia independence Spain's Supreme court veredict jailed catalan separatist leaders Catalonia trial
- Location: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- City: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001B12IR7R
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Tension ran high in the Catalan capital Barcelona on Monday (October 14) as residents waited for the imminent ruling on the case of 12 Catalan separatist leaders over their role in the 2017 banned independence referendum and subsequent short-lived declaration of independence.
Some predicted a guilty ruling would fan pro-independence feelings creating more separatists whilst others said they expected protests after the sentence but hoped it would all be over quickly.
Spain's Supreme Court on Monday sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders to between nine and 13 years in prison for sedition over their role in the region's failed bid for independence in 2017.
The three other defendants in the landmark ruling over a banned referendum and short-lived independence declaration were found guilty only of disobedience and not sentenced to prison. All defendants were acquitted of the most severe charge, rebellion.
(Production: Miguel Pereira, Catherine Macdonald) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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