Sánchez defends Spanish judiciary in Strasbourg ahead of Catalan trial

Spain is a "modern and advanced" democracy, Spanish president Pedro Sánchez assured the Council of Europe (CoE) in Strasbourg on Thursday.

Addressing the international organization, Sánchez added that Spain is a democracy that "upholds the rule of law and where the protection of human rights is not in doubt."

In his speech, the Spanish president also insisted that Spain is a state that respects the separation of powers, the independence of the judiciary and civil liberties.

Sánchez was addressing the CoE's ambassadors' committee a week before the trial of Catalan pro-independence leaders begins in Spain's Supreme Court.

Sánchez also met with the president of the European Court of Human Rights, Guido Raimondi—the first time that a Spanish president holds an official meeting with the head of the international court.