Share

Catalan ex-official testifies he is a 'political prisoner'

Share

MADRID (AP) — A former Catalan official accused of leading a violent rebellion to create an independent republic in northeastern Spain told a top court in Madrid on Thursday that he considers himself “a political prisoner.”

Oriol Junqueras, who was the vice president of the Catalan Cabinet that went ahead with a banned secession referendum in October 2017, was the first of a dozen separatist leaders to testify in the much anticipated Supreme Court trial.

With ex-Catalan president Carles Puigdemont avoiding prosecution by fleeing to Belgium, Junqueras is the highest-ranking official prosecuted in the case. He faces up to 25 years behind bars if found guilty for rebellion and misuse of public funds.

Gesturing vividly with his hands and answering questions only from his lawyer, Junqueras emphatically rejected the charges and made a strong defense of the Catalan independence movement as non-violent.

“Any noble goal can be immoral if the mechanisms to achieve it are indecent,” he said. “This is valid for the Catalan republic, for the Spanish monarchy, for Europe or anything else.”

Trending:
KJP Panics, Hangs Up in Middle of Interview When Reporter Shows He Isn't a Democratic Party Propagandist

The leader of the Catalan left-wing pro-republic party had begun his testimony by telling the panel of seven judges that he is “being accused for my ideas and not for my deeds.” He also declined to answer questions by prosecutors because he regards the trial as a “political” one.

“I consider myself a political prisoner,” he said.

Previously, and responding to allegations made by the Catalans’ defense attorneys, presiding Judge Manuel Marchena said that questioning during the trial would only be allowed to focus on facts, not ideology.

The judge accepted some of the allegations by the defendants. He allowed them to answer questions in their Catalan mother tongue.

Court officials had said that publicizing the trial with full transparency was crucial to disarming the Catalan separatists’ arguments that the proceedings were impartial and tainted by politics.

Junqueras chose to speak in Spanish. He said that gave him the opportunity to address the Spanish public after one year and a half in preventive custody, which he called “a forced silence.”

The 2017 referendum led to an independence declaration, but no action was taken to implement it and no countries recognized the new Catalan republic. A little less than half of voters in the region of 7.5 million support pro-independence parties, results of the last regional election show.

The dramatic events led to a political crisis still reverberating in Spain’s political life. Catalan separatist parties that last year supported a national Socialist administration with minority backing in parliament have dropped their cooperation this week after the prime minister refused to open talks on the region’s self-determination.

The dispute has put the Spanish leader, Pedro Sanchez, under pressure to call an early general election.

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Conversation