Jailed leaders to defend 'legitimacy' of referendum in trial

Former vice president says he expects he will "probably" be sentenced to prison, but that won't make him give up on independence

The Catalan former ministers Raül Romeva (left) and Oriol Junqueras in October 2017 (by Rafa Garrido)
The Catalan former ministers Raül Romeva (left) and Oriol Junqueras in October 2017 (by Rafa Garrido) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

January 7, 2019 11:44 AM

The Catalan political leaders in jail are ready to defend the "legitimacy" of the October 2017 independence referendum and will not hide the fact that it was they who organized it.

That is what the former ministers Oriol Junqueras and Raül Romeva said in an interview with the Catalan newspaper 'Nació Digital' from the prison where they are waiting for their trial.

One of the arguments they say they will use in their defense is that calling referendums was decriminalized in Spain in 2005.

Former foreign minister Romeva said that they will cite the two Quebec independence referendums and the Canadian Supreme Court reaction as an example.