EXILED Catalan politician Clara Ponsati was given a hero’s welcome as she addressed delegates at the SNP’s conference in Aberdeen.

The academic, who briefly served as Catalonia’s education minister, was speaking as members overwhelmingly backed a motion condemning the “brutal violence used by Spanish security forces” to “crush” the referendum on Catalonian independence.

Ponsati is wanted by the Spanish government on charges of violent rebellion and misappropriation of public funds for her role in the referendum last October.

According to Ponsati‘s solicitor, Aamer Anwar, if extradited and convicted of the charges, she could face a total sentence of up to 33 years, sparking fears the 61-year-old could spend the rest of her life locked up.

Speaking at a Fringe event before conference, Anwar said victory in the courts would not be enough: “If we win this case Clara still remains a political exile. Clara’s not able to return home, to walk the streets of Barcelona, to see her mother, to see her son, who remains in Catalonia.

“It is really important that we understand that the only way we actually win this situation is for a negotiated settlement for an unconditional release of all prisoners in Catalonia, for an unconditional cancellation of all European Arrest Warrants, so that all political exiles can return back to Catalonia.”

Ponsati told the same meeting she rejected arguments that members of Catalonia's independence movement had broken the law.

“The referendum was not illegal. A referendum is never illegal in a democracy. It was not an agreed referendum, that’s true. We could not manage an agreement with the Spanish authorities,” she said.

Ponsati said the Catalan government had spent years trying to get agreement for a referendum, but Madrid had always ignored the demand.

“It was the duty of the Catalan government, that had a mandate for independence, to organise a refendum, The voters had given us mandate and we were obliged to do it – besides, it was not illegal.

"We’ve done nothing illegal. The Spanish authorities have manipulated the judiciary, they have manipulated the reading of the law, have manipulated the facts, they have opened these charges that are totally totally illegal.

“What is illegal is what the judiciary are doing in Spain right now.

“What we’re seeing right now is the Spanish authorities putting unity above democracy. This has done a lot of damage to Catalonia, we are suffering a lot of repression, but Spaniards themselves are going to be the victim of that if that goes on. That is madness and this must stop. Democracy must prevail.”

Anwar told supporters the fighting fund needed another £230,000 before the trial commences in Edinburgh at the end of July to take on the “unlimited resources” of the Spanish government.