Catalan Separatist Leaders Get Lengthy Prison Terms for Sedition
Source: New York Times
The Spanish Supreme Court on Monday sentenced former leaders of the Catalan independence movement to lengthy prison terms after finding them guilty of sedition for their botched attempt to break away from Spain in 2017.
The former deputy leader of Catalonia, Oriol Junqueras, received the toughest sentence: 13 years in prison. Carles Puigdemont, the former leader of Catalonia, has been living in self-imposed exile in Belgium, after fleeing to avoid prosecution in Spain.
The court verdicts followed a landmark trial in which 12 leaders of the Catalan independence movement stood accused of crimes ranging from rebellion and sedition to misuse of public funds.
The court sentenced nine of the former leaders to prison for sedition, as well as for misusing public funds. The remaining three were sentenced for the lesser crime of disobedience during the events two years ago, which culminated in an unconstitutional referendum followed by a declaration of independence in October 2017.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/14/world/europe/catalonia-separatists-verdict-spain.html