Jailed leaders bemoan release requests ignored in August

Incarcerated Junts per Catalunya officials also complain about technical obstacles to preparing their defense

MPs Jordi Turull (left) and Josep Rull (by Bernat Vilaró)
MPs Jordi Turull (left) and Josep Rull (by Bernat Vilaró) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

August 31, 2018 05:16 PM

Three out of the nine pro-independence leaders in pre-trial jail have complained about not getting any response from the Spanish judiciary throughout August to their latest requests for release, which were made on August 1.  

Jordi Sànchez, Josep Rull and Jordi Turull, all three from the Junts per Catalunya candidacy, have made an official complaint to Spain’s Supreme Court, arguing that despite submitting appeals against the most recent rejection of their requests for release, they have so far had no response from the court. 

This comes after the judge ruled that unlike in other years, this August would be a month in which the defense teams of the political leaders could make requests or prepare for their upcoming trials.  

Yet the lawyers of Sànchez, Rull and Turull also complained about some technical obstacles in preparing their clients’ defenses. 

Specifically, they say that during August they have been unable to access the website hosting all the paperwork relating to the judicial case, even though they were given 10 days to do so. Whether by phone or in person, they say they could not find any officer at the Spanish justice ministry to solve the technical issue.