Jailed Catalan political leaders to face Madrid trial

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA

Imprisoned Catalan leaders accused of rebellion and sedition are expected to be transferred to the capital Madrid soon to stand before the Supreme Court, according to the Spanish daily La Vanguardia.

Nine Catalan political prisoners, including former vice-president of Catalonia Oriol Junqueras, Catalonia's presidential candidate Jordi Turull, Raul Romeva, Josep Rull, and Joaquim Forn, will be taken from prisons in Barcelona, Girona, and Tarragona for their trial which is set to begin on Jan. 29 or Feb. 5.

Junqueras and Forn have been held behind bars since Dec. 2017 while Turull, Romeva, and Rull have been incarcerated since Mar. 2018 after the 2017 unilateral referendum and the subsequent declaration of independence.

Spain dissolved the Catalan parliament and called fresh elections 2017.

Ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont fled Spain to Belgium before he was briefly held in Germany for 12 days under a European arrest warrant. After being released, he headed back to Brussels where he has been living in exile since then.