Protest to unblock appeals

The former president of the Catalan National Assembly and now MP for JuntsxCat, Jordi Sànchez, and former minister and MP for the same group, Jordi Turull, who are both in custody in the Lledoners prison awaiting trial for their part in last year’s independence bid, yesterday began a hunger strike to condemn what they argue is the Constitutional Court’s (TC) unjustified blocking of all their appeals. It is not known whether any other of the jailed leaders intend to join them in their protest. However, a website — vagadefam.cat — has gone up online to gather support, and yesterday had more than 60,000 inscriptions.

“A hunger strike is one of the few legitimate protests we are allowed in prison,” the leaders said in a statement read out to the press by their lawyer, Jordi Pina.

“We do not ask for any special treatment from the Constitutional Court. However, nor do we passively accept any unjustified discrimination or delay. It is not even a question of the court ruling in our favour, but simply that it unblocks the appeals we have presented. Only that way will the way be clear to having access to European courts. We are aware that the longer our access to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is delayed, the longer we will have to wait to recover our freedom,” they say in the statement.

Pina pointed out that their defence lawyers have appealed nine times to the TC, of which eight have been admitted to be heard and the first of which is dated November 22 last year. The lawyer also pointed out that “Spanish law and the doctrine of the TC establishes that appeals against pre-trial detention should be given priority and must be resolved within a maximum period of 30 days.” In the cases of Sànchez and Turull, that limit has been far exceeded.