The historic trial of the leaders of the Catalan independence process begins in Spain

The oral trial of greater political significance in the recent history of Spain will begin on Tuesday at the Supreme Court, where 12 politicians and activists of independence they will sit on the bench accused of serious crimes, including rebellion, for his responsibility in the failed Catalan secession attempt of 2017.

This is one of the most controversial legal cases of the recent period, which has caused a deep political and social division and the result of which will have consequences for the future Spanish political scenario, because the conflict is still active.

The start of the trial comes at a time of great political instability for Spain because of the uncertainty surrounding the possibility that the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, announce early elections, an issue that is not separate from what is happening in the courts. The minority government of the Socialist is on the line after breaking off its dialogue with the secessionists. Barring a last minute turn, the Catalan separatists will fail in their budget proposal and pave the way for electoral progress, although their downfall will allow power to come to power from the right-wing party Vox.

In this pre-election context, the secessionists will begin their fight to convince the judges of the Supreme Court. that they face a "political trial" for having respected the "democratic will" of the Catalans who demanded a referendum of self-determination.

The 12 accused, including nine in pre-trial detention, face a total sentence of 177 years of imprisonment and 204 years of absolute disability, for various crimes, such as rebellion, sedition, misappropriation of public funds and criminal organization.

One of the keys to the process is that judges must determine whether there has been violence and, hence, whether a crime of rebellion was committed during the process that resulted in the unilateral declaration of violence. Independence of October 27, 2017. intervention of the region and dismissal of the government of the former president Carles Puigdemont by the Spanish executive. Puigdemont has a warrant for arrest in Spain for rebellion.

The separatists say that the Spanish security forces were the only violence to have cracked down on marches and voters in the 2017 secessionist referendum and that the organization of such a consultation is not a crime .

The former Catalan vice president and leader of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) party, Oriol Junqueras, on the most complicated horizon, while facing a 25-year prison sentence as the alleged promoter of the rebellion. The former president of the Catalan Parliament, Carmen Forcadell, is also accused of rebellion or sedition – with a sentence of 17 years in prison – and the two social leaders of the movement for independence, Jordi Sánchez and Jordi Cuixart, former presidents of the National Assembly of Catalonia (ANC) and Omnium culture. For the other accused, the prosecutor's office requires between seven and sixteen years.

To support the charge of rebellion, the public prosecutor badures that Catalan rulers have used violence in a "daunting" way to achieve the "criminal aim" according to which Catalonia – a region of 7 million people – is the only country in the world. inhabitants – would become "a state in the form of a republic independent of the Kingdom of Spain".