Catalan Trial: Day 49 summary

On the 49th day of the Catalan Trial, the defence teams were finally able to start presenting their video evidence in court.

Among their first videos were scenes in which some of the jailed leaders currently on trial called for the public to behave peacefully whilst still defending the Catalan independence referendum.

Catalan Trial: click here full details of those accused, the charges, and the accusers.

One of these videos was a La Sexta TV interview with Jordi Cuixart, one of the imprisoned pro-independence activists, where he openly rejects ‘violence and non-democratic behaviour’.

A lot of video footage of the actual day of the independence referendum on 1 October 2017 was also part of Wednesday’s documentary evidence, with images of police violence against peaceful voters and protestors at numerous locations across Catalonia.

ALSO READ: A UN group demands release of Sànchez, Cuixart and Junqueras

Unlike Day 48’s session where the prosecution was at times unable to provide precise background information for each of the videos they had chosen to enter into documentary evidence, on Wednesday the lawyers for the defence were able to identify when and where each of the videos had been filmed.

ALSO READ: Jordi Sànchez: ‘Nothing we’ve seen in our trial justifies prison’

This is expected to be the last day of the documentary evidence phase.

On Monday the prosecutors are expected to make their closing arguments, including their proposed charges for each of the 12 politicians and activists on trial.

The defence will present their summaries on 10 June before the defendants also share their closing remarks.

LATEST UPDATE:

As the Catalan independence trial comes to an end, after three and a half months of proceedings and testimony from more than 400 witnesses, Spain’s attorney general’s office hasn’t moved an inch from its initial accusations.

The public prosecutor has confirmed the charges of rebellion against most of the defendants on trial, who have already spent more than a year in jail, and requests prison sentences of up to 25 years for organising a referendum in late 2017 and subsequently declaring independence despite Spain’s opposition.

In total, the attorney general has requested prison sentences totalling 177 years for the 12 pro-independence leaders accused, including a 25-year jail term for Oriol Junqueras, the vice president at the time of the vote and the highest-ranking official on trial.

The prosecutor has also requested 17 years in jail for the parliament speaker at the time, Carme Forcadell, as well as for activists Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart, and a 16-year jail term for former ministers Jordi Turull, Josep Rull, Dolors Bassa, Raül Romeva, and Joaquim Forn.

The solicitor general’s office, representing the Spanish government, is also standing by its initial demands of between 7 and 12 years in prison for sedition.

The sentences proposed by the solicitor general in total amount to 116.5 years in jail, although it continues to rule out the charge of rebellion.

Meanwhile, the private prosecutor representing the far-right Vox party is keeping to its initial demands of 74 years in prison for the former ministers, and 62 years for Sànchez and Cuixart.

Yet, Vox reduced its demands regarding Santi Vila, who resigned as a minister before the independence bid, reducing the charges to disobedience, which carries no prison sentence.

Catalan Trial: click here full details of those accused, the charges, and the accusers.

Click here for all articles and updates on the Catalan Trial

ALSO READ: Catalan Trial: Day 48 summary

ALSO READ: Catalan Trial: Day 47 summary

ALSO READ: Catalan Trial: Day 46 summary

ALSO READ: Catalan Trial: Day 45 summary

ALSO READ: Catalan Trial: Day 44 summary

ALSO READ: Catalan Trial: Day 43 summary

ALSO READ: Catalan Trial: Day 42 summary

ALSO READ: Catalan Trial: Day 41 summary

ALSO READ: Catalan Trial: Day 40 summary

ALSO READ: Catalan Trial: Day 39 summary