FILE PHOTO: Catalan politicians Josep Rull (L) and Jordi Turull arrive together to the Supreme Court after being summoned and facing investigation for their part in Catalonia's bid for independence in Madrid, Spain, March 23, 2018. REUTERS/Susana Vera FILE PHOTO: Catalan politicians Josep Rull (L) and Jordi Turull arrive together to the Supreme Court after being summoned and facing investigation for their part in Catalonia's bid for independence in Madrid, Spain, March 23, 2018. REUTERS/Susana Vera

MADRID (Reuters) – Four jailed Catalan separatist leaders, incarcerated since October 2017 ahead of a trial for their involvement in a push by the region for independence, called off a hunger strike on Thursday, their spokeswoman said.

“Today, after 20 days since it began, we are ending our hunger strike,” the spokeswoman Pilar Calvo said reading a statement from the protesters, Jordi Turull, Josep Rull, Jordi Sanchez and Joaquim Forn. </s> The Spanish prosecutor’s office demands a 25-year prison sentence for the leader of the pro-independence Catalan party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ErC), Oriol Junqueras, for a challenge to the central government that resulted in the unilateral declaration of independence on October 27, 2017. Junqueras is charged with the Medieval crime of “rebellion”.

After a year of investigations, the prosecutor presented the request for sentences, ranging from 25 years for former Catalan vice president to 16 for five former “advisors”: Jordi Turull, Raul Romeva, Joaquim Forn, Dolors Bassa and Josep Rull.

For the leaders of Omnium Cultural and the Catalan National Assembly, Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sanchez, the prosecution requests 17 years in jail and a 17-year ban on holding public office, similar punishment is proposed for the former Catalan Parliament Speaker Carme Forcadell.

All are charged with “rebellion“, a crime that carries a 30-year maximum sentence. For the three advisers who are not in detention – Carles Mundó, Maritxell Borrás and Santiago Vila – the requested sentence is limited to 7 years, since they are accused only of embezzlement. </s> Five Catalan political leaders who are on trial for rebellion are scheduled to attend the Spanish parliament on Tuesday for the inauguration of the new legislature, amid uncertainty over whether they will be allowed to take part in parliamentary activity.

Oriol Junqueras, Josep Rull, Jordi Turull and Jordi Sànchez won seats in Congress in last month’s general election, despite being in jail and on trial in the supreme court. Fellow pro-independence politician Raül Romeva, who is also behind bars and on trial, was elected to the Senate. All five are due to be escorted from the prison where they are being held in Madrid to attend parliament’s opening session.

On Monday, the trial was suspended as the five men picked up their parliamentary credentials from the upper and lower houses. Their trial is due to resume on Wednesday.

“Today we have been able to leave Soto del Real prison thanks to your votes so that we can collect our credentials,” Mr Junqueras, former vice-president of Catalonia and currently leader of the Catalan Republic Left (ERC), said in a brief video posted on Twitter. “Your votes have freed us.”

Mr Romeva also represents ERC, while Messrs Rull, Turull and Sànchez won seats for Together for Catalonia (JxCat). None of them was allowed to address the media or meet privately with colleagues during their visit, which was closely controlled by police.

JxCat spokeswoman Laura Borràs described the restrictions on the jailed parliamentarians as “scandalous”.

All five are facing charges of violent rebellion and sedition for their alleged roles in Catalonia’s failed bid for independence in 2017, and could face lengthy jail sentences if found guilty. The trial began in February and is expected to end next month, although a verdict is unlikely before the summer.

Macarena Olona, a newly elected member of Congress for the far-right Vox party, which is one of the plaintiffs in the supreme court trial, decried the fact that the jailed Catalan leaders had been allowed to appear in parliament. She described their visit as “a failure of the rule of law that means five criminals have managed to get into public institutions in order to destroy Spain”.

ERC made gains in last month’s election, securing 15 seats in Congress and it could potentially be key in allowing the Socialists of prime minister Pedro Sánchez to form a new government after they emerged as winners but fell short of a majority.

However, although the jailed politicians are allowed to attend today’s session, the ability of the four members of Congress to take part in parliamentary business appears to be in the hands of the lower house’s presiding council.

Both the conservative Popular Party (PP) and the Ciudadanos party have called for the presiding council to prevent the four from being able to take up their seats. If that were to happen and the suspended politicians did not delegate their seats, the change in parliamentary arithmetic could make the securing of a majority marginally easier. </s> FILE PHOTO: Jordi Turull, a Catalan separatist leader, walks with his wife Blanca Bragulat after leaving Spain's Supreme Court in Madrid where he testified for an investigation into his role in Catalonia's bid for independence, March 23, 2018. REUTERS/Susana Vera/File Photo

MADRID (Reuters) - Two more jailed Catalan separatist leaders awaiting trial for their role in the region’s failed bid to secede from Spain joined a hunger strike started two days ago by two of their companions to protest against their treatment by Spanish courts.

After Catalonia declared independence last year, Madrid took direct control of the region and brought charges including misuse of public funds and rebellion against Catalan leaders, nine of whom are in jail awaiting trial.

Two of the leaders in custody, Josep Rull and Joaquim Forn, released a statement saying they would join the hunger strike started on Saturday by Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Turull.

“We also voluntarily renounce food intake as of 8:00 p.m. on Monday,” the men said in a statement.

The men said they were fasting to support Sanchez and Turull’s protest against the failure of Spanish courts to process numerous appeals in relation to their cases. </s> Four imprisoned Catalan politicians awaiting trial after a failed secessionist bid on Thursday decided to give up a hunger strike protest after nearly three weeks, according to their spokesperson.

Former regional ministers Jordi Turull, Josep Rull and Joaquim Forn, as well as the president of the separatist civil association Catalan National Assembly (ANC) Jordi Sánchez, are currently in pre-trial detention on charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds for their role in organizing a referendum on the prosperous northeastern Spanish region's independence from the rest of the country that was deemed unconstitutional by the judiciary. </s> MADRID (AP) — The Latest on Catalonia's bid to secede from Spain(all times local):

Catalan presidential hopeful Jordi Turull says he wants to foster dialogue with Spain's central authorities if he's elected as the regional president. He didn't specify what the dialogue would entail.

In a speech to fellow lawmakers, the pro-independence ex-minister outlined some of the social, economic and other measures he would implement if elected on Thursday.

There was no mention of "independence" or "republic" in the hour-long speech.

Turull is the third candidate proposed by parties that support Catalan independence. His bid appears because lawmakers of the anti-capitalist CUP party want a president who vows to realize the region's secession.

He is also facing a possible indictment on rebellion and other charges.

He told the Catalan parliament: "I prefer to accept the risk of being a victim of injustice than to back away from what is happening."

Catalonia's parliament is holding a session to elect as the Spanish region's next president a former separatist minister who could be indicted on rebellion charges as early as Friday.

Jordi Turull is among the former Catalan officials facing possible rebellion charges over the regional assembly's failed attempt last year to break away from Spain.

A Supreme Court judge overseeing the investigation plans to issue indictments Friday. That could lead to Turull being imprisoned and, at a later stage, possibly banned from public office.

Turull also appears to lack the support he needs to be elected as Catalonia's next president on Thursday. The radical-left separatist CUP party says its representatives won't vote for Turull, leaving him short of an absolute majority in the regional chamber.

If Turull is not jailed by a judge on Friday, parliament rules would give him a second chance to be elected as the northeastern region's leader on Saturday.

Spain's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal to release two Catalan independence leaders from pre-trial detention while a judge investigates Catalonia's illegal attempt to secede from Spain last year.

The top court ruled that there is still risk for Joaquim Forn, the ousted Catalan Interior Minister, and Jordi Sanchez, the former president of the pro-independence civil rights group ANC, to repeat the offenses that landed them in jail.

Supreme Court Judge Pablo Llarena is set to issue indictments for Forn and other separatist politicians on Friday, in a probe looking into possible rebellion, sedition and embezzlement charges.

Llarena is investigating Sanchez in connection with the turbulent events last fall, and particularly whether the activist should be held accountable for allegedly orchestrating protests that hindered officials trying to stop a banned independence referendum.

Spain's government has rejected a plan by separatists in Catalonia's regional parliament to elect prominent secessionist politician Jordi Turull as Catalan president.

The secretary of state for territorial administration, Roberto Bermudez de Castro, says Thursday's vote in Barcelona is just another ploy in the region's frustrated attempt to gain independence.

He told the Spanish Senate the government will oppose the election of any candidate who faces legal proceedings. Turull is among ex-officials facing possible rebellion charges over the regional parliament's failed attempt last year to break away from Spain.

Turull is the third candidate proposed by pro-independence lawmakers since a December election. The central government is running Catalonia from Madrid.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> Jordi Turull, former spokesman for the regional Catalan government of Carles Puigdemont, began a hunger strike on December 1 in Lledoners prison north of Barcelona.

Turull and other Catalan leaders are in custody pending a trial on charges ranging from sedition to rebellion after they attempted to break away from Spain in 2017 by staging a referendum.

Turull and another leader Jordi Sanchez began a hunger strike to protest what they said was a Constitutional Court block of their attempted appeal against their provisional detention.

"Though he is in stable condition, the time that has passed and his individual condition meant Jordi Turull needed to be transferred to the hospital," his doctor Jaume Padros wrote on Twitter. "There are no worrying signs, this is part of medical protocol," he wrote.

Turull and Sanchez are accused of rebellion for their part in the attempted breakaway of the Catalan region last year. The trial of the two men and other Catalan leaders is expected to begin in Spain's Supreme Court early next year. Two other jailed leaders also joined the hunger strike after Turull.

Current Catalan president Quim Torra has stepped up his separatist rhetoric after his own government was weakened by a wave of strikes by doctors and teachers and by protests by radical separatists. </s> MADRID/BARCELONA (Reuters) - Twelve Catalan politicians go on trial on Tuesday for their role in Catalonia’s failed 2017 independence bid, putting the spotlight back on Spain’s biggest political crisis in decades which could make it flare once again.

Police vans, believed to carry Catalan separatist politicians, leave prison on their to way to the Supreme Court in Soto del Real, Spain, February 12, 2019. REUTERS/Juan Medina

To the dismay of much of the rest of Spain, Catalonia defied a judicial ban by carrying out a referendum and subsequently unilaterally declaring independence in October 2017.

There was shock at home and abroad when police used batons and rubber bullets on protesters on the day of the vote. Some of the Catalan separatist leaders were later arrested or fled the country.

The start on Tuesday of the trial will refocus attention on the region’s push for secession which so rattles Spain’s political and cultural identity.

The trial will decide if Catalan nationalist leaders stay in jail. The public prosecutor is seeking prison terms of up to 25 years on charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds. At stake are Spain’s stability, the future of Catalonia’s independence movement as well as the region’s and the central government’s image abroad.

“It’s the most important trial we have had in democracy”, Supreme Court president Carlos Lesmes told reporters on Feb. 1, referring to the return to democracy in Spain after dictator Francisco Franco’s death in 1975.

Raul Romeva, one of nine defendants jailed without bail since late 2017 facing the charge of rebellion, has made clear his view that it should end only with an acquittal.

“A (prison) sentence would weigh forever on history and on Spain’s future,” Romeva told Reuters in an interview conducted by email from jail.

At the time of his arrest, Romeva was foreign minister in Catalonia’s regional government and a member of the European Parliament.

Fellow defendants include veteran Catalan politicians Oriol Junqueras and Carme Forcadell. Notably absent from the list is former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, who is in self-imposed exile in Belgium and thus cannot be tried in Spain.

The dozen’s fate has been a rallying cry for separatists ever since 2017, said Federico Santi, analyst at political risk consultancy Eurasia, adding that he expected, like other observers, that the trial will re-ignite tensions.

Pro-Catalan independence protests had quieted down over the past months but separatist groups have called a series of protests in Catalonia and in Madrid to coincide with the trial.

Their supporters say they are political prisoners, while Madrid accuses them of breaking the law.

Among the many witnesses will be Mariano Rajoy, who was Spanish prime minister at the time of the independence vote and its aftermath.

RIFT

Lluis Orriols, a political science professor at Universidad Carlos III in Madrid, thinks the trial will reinvigorate the separatist debate ahead of end-May local and regional elections.

“The Catalan question is activating a nationalistic and identitarian confrontation not only in Catalonia but also in all of Spain,” Orriols said.

The trial starts as the Socialist government, which controls less than a quarter of seats in parliament, faces a key vote on the 2019 budget on Wednesday. A failure to approve the budget proposal could prompt a snap parliamentary election this year.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez relies on smaller parties, and in particular Catalan nationalists, to get the budget adopted. These have said they would block the bill, citing their dissatisfaction with Sanchez’s policy towards the region, despite his efforts for dialogue..

On the other hand, Spain’s right-wing parties accuse Sanchez of being too soft with Catalan separatists. On Sunday, thousands gathered in Madrid to protest Sanchez’ Catalan policies.

Civil Guard vans, believed to carry Catalan separatist politicians, leave prison on their to way to the Supreme Court in Soto del Real, Spain, February 12, 2019. REUTERS/Juan Medina

In Catalonia, support for the twelve is not unanimous. The population is largely split in two between those who favor remaining part of Spain and those wanting to secede.

After imposing direct rule on Catalonia in October 2017, Madrid called fresh regional elections that December in a bid to curb the independence movement. But the move backfired and the secessionists retained a slim majority in the Catalan assembly.

The last time a trial for rebellion was held in Spain was in 1982 after a failed military coup attempt. Its leader, found guilty of rebellion by a military court, was sentenced to 30 years of prison. </s> Twelve Catalan politicians go on trial today for their role in Catalonia’s failed 2017 independence bid, putting the spotlight back on Spain’s biggest political crisis in decades. Catalonia defied a judicial ban by carrying out a referendum and subsequently unilaterally declaring independence in October 2017.

There was shock at home and abroad when police used batons and rubber bullets on protesters on the day of the vote. Some of the Catalan separatist leaders were arrested or fled.

The trial will refocus attention on the region’s push for secession which so rattles Spain’s identity.

The trial will decide if Catalan nationalist leaders stay in jail. The public prosecutor is seeking prison terms of up to 25 years on charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds. At stake are Spain’s stability, the future of Catalonia’s independence movement as well as the region’s and the central government’s image abroad.

“It’s the most important trial we have had in democracy,” Supreme Court president Carlos Lesmes said, referring to the return to democracy in Spain after dictator Francisco Franco’s death in 1975.

Raul Romeva, one of nine defendants jailed without bail since late 2017, has made clear his view it should end only with an acquittal. “A (prison) sentence would weigh forever on history and on Spain’s future,” Romeva said.

At the time of his arrest, Romeva was foreign minister in Catalonia’s regional government and a member of the European Parliament.

Fellow defendants include veteran Catalan politicians Oriol Junqueras and Carme Forcadell. Notably absent from the list is former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, who is in self-imposed exile in Belgium.

Pro-Catalan independence protests had quietened down over the past months, but separatist groups have called a series of protests in Catalonia and in Madrid to coincide with the trial. Their supporters say they are political prisoners, while Madrid accuses them of breaking the law.

Among the many witnesses will be Mariano Rajoy, who was Spanish prime minister at the time of the independence vote and its aftermath.

In Catalonia, support for the 12 is not unanimous. The population is largely split between those who favour remaining part of Spain and those wanting to secede.

After imposing direct rule on Catalonia in October 2017, Madrid called regional elections that December to curb the independence movement. This backfired and the secessionists retained a slim majority in the Catalan assembly. Reuters
The judge remands Jordi Turull, Josep Rull, Carme Forcadell, Dolors Bassa and Raul Romeva into custody again.