The criminal trial of the separatists has ended | What …

From Madrid

After 52 sittings, the trial of the Independence Leaders of Catalonia, which opened on 12 February, has ended and the decision will be known at the end of the European summer. The twelve Catalan leaders accused of organizing the illegal referendum of October 1, 2017 could be found guilty of rebellion, sedition and / or embezzlement, up to 25 years in prison.

In one of the most transcendent conflicts of Spain's recent history, the country's justice eventually came to grips with a problem that rulers did not know how to solve and who dominated in recent years Spanish politics to the point of motivating the call for elections. the recent generalizations and the growth of the extreme right leading to the radicalization of the right-wing political parties.

In their final plea, the defendants insisted that the Catalan conflict should have been resolved in the field of politics and not justice. Oriol Junqueras, former vice-president of the Generalitat of Catalonia and principal defendant, held these last words to affirm that "the best thing to do for Catalonia, Spain, Europe, for all, would be to refer the question to the field of politics, of good politics, from which I should never have left. "

When organizing the referendum, the leader of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, recently elected deputy to the European Parliament, said that "to vote or defend the republic of a parliament can not constitute a crime", and that " respect for Human rights and fundamental freedoms should never be a crime. "

The former Foreign Minister, Raül Romeva, said that "whatever happens", they would continue with "the outstretched hand", and pointed out that 12 people were not sitting on the bench but more than 2 million, in reference to the number of people. who participated in the referendum on 1 October 2017, whatever their choice, whether they wish Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic.

In a more vindictive speech, the president of Òmnium Cultural (a social organization of sovereignty), Jordi Cuixart, baderted that there was no type of repentance for what was being done and warned that "no condemnation will make that the Catalans will stop fighting peacefully for their right to self-determination. "

In general, the speeches of the defendants aimed to defend their actions within the framework of the right to express a political will, in this case that of the independence of Catalonia. His plea with the sentencing judges was not to aggravate the conflict. According to their position, the courts will not be able to settle the claims of a large part of Catalan society, nor seek an agreed referendum as the sovereign leaders would like.

When the Attorney General's Office made its final charge a few days ago, it had become more difficult and energetic than at the beginning of the trial, while the 500 witnesses who had attended the trial had not testified and that the testimony of the 12 accused had not been heard. The public prosecutor has described the October 1st referendum and the unilateral (fugitive) declaration of independence announced by former President Carles Puigdemont as a "coup d'etat", and considered that Accused had committed the crime of rebellion for using "enough violence" and "necessary" to achieve its goals. The sentences for nine of the twelve defendants do not differ from the original charge of 16 to 25 years.

Despite the tact and professionalism with which Judge Manuel Marchena led the trial, no one in Spain expects a favorable decision from the leaders of independence, quite the contrary. Foreseeing the worst, Puigdemont tweeted after the accused's latest plea, saying that "the just sentence can only be absolution". The current president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Quim Torra, called for the release of all "political prisoners", said that "Spain violates international law" and that they would denounce him in Europe.

Among the leaders of the opposition, the speech was to thank the judges and prosecutors of the trial. Albert Rivera, citizen leader, stressed "the officials who defended the rule of law against those who tried to destroy it." Pablo Casado, president of the Popular Party, took advantage of his comment to urge Pedro Sanchez to refuse to Junqueras the authorization of the bar of State to recover his act of the MEP, which would give him immunity once the European Parliament has complied.

No declaration has been made by the Spanish Government. In recent months, Pedro Sánchez has been the center of pressure of progressive sectors who are asking to debate the possibility of a pardon or amendment of the Criminal Code reducing the sentences of the accused, and of the right, which warns of the universal flow if the socialist president dares to take a step going in the direction of possible amnesties.

On the other hand, he does not need to mention the trial of the independence leaders to tackle the Catalan question. Yesterday, the Minister of Development, José Luis Abalos, suggested that, faced with the inauguration of Sanchez as the new president of the government, he would exclude the support or the abstention of no deputy, including those belonging to the sovereignist forces. from Catalonia or the Basque Country. A decision that, for right-wing forces, can mean betraying the country or trying to destroy it.

The degree of tension with which the role that sovereign forces can play in Spanish politics is discussed is the one that has dominated the Catalan conflict in recent years and for which it has finally been sent to the courts. Spanish A shortcut that, judging by the current lack of consensus on how to deal with the Catalan claim, does not seem to be enough to resolve the substance of the issue.