PRO-Catalan independence leader Jordi Cuixart will accuse the Spanish government of violating fundamental rights to protect Spain’s territorial unity when his trial starts next week.
The 43-year-old president of the grassroots organisation Omnium Cultural is among a dozen people who have been in pre-trial detention for more than a year charged with rebellion, which can carry a sentence of up to 30 years. They include former vice president Oriol Junqueras and Carme Forcadell, ex-speaker of the Catalan parliament.
His defence team will set out a series rights violations, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, self-determination and being tried in a competent, impartial and independent court. He also claims to have been denied a presumption of innocence and freedom.
The statement presented by his lawyers at the Spanish Supreme Court said the judicial process “conceals acts of torture”, as it ignores and avoids investigating “police violence” during the self-determination referendum of October 1, 2017
He also doubts whether his trial can be fair and a petition from his legal team to remove the far-right Vox party from proceedings has been rejected by the court. The party’s general secretary, Javier Ortega Smith, has called for a 52-year prison sentence for Cuixart, accusing him of rebellion and belonging to a criminal organisation.
Meanwhile, Catalan pro-indy MPs in the Spanish parliament are set to reject budget proposals for this year from Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
The Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Catalan Democrats (PDeCAT) say they have ruled out backing Madrid’s general budget.
Sánchez came to power last spring with the support of Catalan and Basque members to oust Mariano Rajoy – they had sought “gestures” towards their aspirations to self-determination.
“We are in favour of dialogue with the Spanish government to respond to democratic demands and to end the repression and persecution of the independence movement,” said ERC spokesperson, Marta Vilalta.
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