What will defendants in the independence trial argue?
Seven keys for their defense include lack of violence, no public money spent on referendum, legality of independence vote and "violation of rights" by Spain
Politics
Politics news from Catalonia and Barcelona
Former Catalan speaker accuses Spanish court of acting ‘politically’ ahead of independence trial
No public money used to fund referendum, says ex-minister
Spanish president speaks at European Parliament amid criticism over Catalonia
MEPs protest by showing banners with faces of jailed and exiled leaders
Two pro-independence mayors arrested over 'public disorder' offenses
Lawyer calls detentions "unjustified and disproportionate," and claims he was not let in police station for speaking in Catalan
Madrid rejects launching political negotiation in exchange for budget
Catalan ministers Artadi and Aragonès to meet with Spanish vice president on Thursday
King Felipe, Puigdemont, and Rajoy among proposed witnesses for independence trial
Jailed leaders Sànchez, Rull, and Turull request top Catalan and Spanish leaders at time of referendum
Organ transplants up in Catalonia for fifth year in a row
Some 1,149 operations carried out in Catalan hospitals in 2018, although number of donors fell slightly by 1.9%
'West cannot allow forceful suppression' of independence movement, says president in US
Quim Torra asks for "international mediation that allows Catalans to exercise self-determination"
Cuixart denounces ‘suspension of rights’ to ‘protect’ Spanish unity in statement of defense
The document released ahead of the jailed leader’s trial also emphasized his backing self-determination
Sánchez turns down meeting with MEPs during Strasbourg visit
Sources in Madrid say Spanish president lacks time to meet EU-Catalonia Dialogue Platform when visiting European Parliament on Wednesday
Spain to spend 2.25bn euros in Catalonia as part of proposed budget
At 18.5%, total is less than 19.2% Catalan contribution to Spain's GDP; spending plan unlikely to succeed in Congress
President to denounce situation of 'political prisoners and exiles' to the world
At start of official US visit, Quim Torra gets support of mayor of Idaho's capital ahead of talk at Martin Luther King Institute
'Voting can never be a crime, we are democrats and pacifists,' say jailed leaders in statement of defense
Former vice president and former foreign minister, in pre-trial jail, reject charges of rebellion, sedition, and misuse of public funds
Catalan president rejects Spanish budget yet again over independence referendum refusal
Quim Torra takes on Pedro Sánchez: "We haven’t seen him advance even one millimeter"
Spanish president pledges to stay in office until term ends in 2020
Pedro Sánchez dismisses opposition claims for a snap election: "Casado and Rivera can sit down and wait"
Latest updates and breaking news on politics and political affairs from Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, and Europe. Keep up to date with the territorial crisis and Catalonia’s independence push, stories from the Catalan government and parliament, latest developments in the Spanish government, and the decisions in Europe that affect our shores too.