- Title: Anger amongst Catalan separatists over sedition ruling for jailed leaders
- Date: 14th October 2019
- Summary: SANT JOAN DE VILLATORRADA, SPAIN (OCTOBER 14, 2019) (REUTERS) CATALAN PRO-INDEPENDENCE PROTESTERS OUTSIDE LLEDONERS PRISON WHERE CATALAN LEADERS ARE JAILED MAN CHECKING MOBILE PHONE AS SENTENCE IS DELIVERED (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE PROTESTER SAYING: "These people have been unfairly sentenced. Although we already knew this was going to happen because it had been decided already. It has been a fake trial, there is no other name for this. We are totally outraged but we will be here facing this as much as we can." (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIDENTIFIED MALE PROTESTER SAYING: "Today is a bad day, it is a sad day. The trial was a fake trial and now the Catalan people it is time to go to the streets peacefully, always peacefully but to protest for this absolutely sentence this is a very sad sentence and it is a moment to protest." COUPLE GOING THROUGH DETAILS OF THE SENTENCE ON PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) UNIDENTIFIED MALE PROTESTER SAYING: "I still had a little bit of hope that the Supreme Court judges would really do their job as judges and not political judges of a repressive state. Unfortunately I was very wrong. The high stake Spanish justice is absolutely politicised. They have not made the change yet and they are sentencing people whose only crime is to follow a democratic mandate by the Catalan people through the polls which was a referendum asking if we Catalans wanted to remain in Spain." TWO PROTESTERS HUGGING VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING PARAGLIDER FLYING OVER LLEDONERS PRISON HOT AIR BALLOON FLYING OVER LLEDONERS PRISON VARIOUS OF ENTRANCE TO LLEDONERS PRISON
- Embargoed: 28th October 2019 08:19
- Keywords: Catalonia independence Spain's Supreme court veredict jailed catalan separatist leaders jailed leaders Catalonia
- Location: SANT JOAN DE VILLATORRADA, SPAIN
- City: SANT JOAN DE VILLATORRADA, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001B12ITL3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Spain's Supreme Court on Monday (October 14) 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.
Outside the prison where the majority of leaders are being held, a group of pro-independence protesters said they were angry about the sentence.
The longest prison term went to former Catalan deputy leader Oriol Junqueras, who was given 13 years.
Four of the leaders were convicted of misuse of public funds.
Separatist protests have been largely peaceful but police sources have said authorities are prepared for potential violence.
The government has said it is ready to take direct control of Catalonia, as it did briefly in 2017, if leaders of the movement break the law.
The ruling is likely to colour a national election on November 10, Spain's fourth in four years.
(Production: Marco Trujillo, Anna Valderrama, Luis Felipe Fernandez) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
