Spain prevents us from going to European justice, say jailed leaders on hunger strike
President of doctors association warns of potential health 'risk' of protest from first day
The Spanish judiciary prevents the Catalan pro-independence jailed leaders from taking their case to the European Court of Human Rights.
This is what one of the lawyers in charge of their case said in a press conference on Saturday morning while reading a statement by incarcerated Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Turull to justify their hunger strike started also on Saturday.
The officials said the strike is "against no one," and its main aim is to "raise awareness" of their situations.
Yet they also emphasize that the Spanish Constitutional court is blocking "in an unjustified way" the eight appeals filed by the prosecuted officials which are still waiting for a final decision by the judges.
Why they claim Spain 'blocks' case reaching European courts
Sànchez and Turull claim that the Spanish Constitutional Court "prevents" them from taking their cases to the international justice.
"The more days they strike, the bigger the risk for their health is, but the risks start now, with the strike's beginning"
Dr Jaume Padrós · President of Barcelona's Col·legi de Metges doctors' association
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) only accepts for consideration cases which have gone through the whole national judicial path.
And in the pro-independence officials’ case, the highest court in Spain, the Constitutional Court, has accepted eight jailed leaders’ appeals for consideration, but has not taken a final decision on any. Until it does not have a final say on them, the prosecuted individuals will not be able to take their cases to the ECHR.
President of doctors' association warns of potential health risk
In the same press conference, the president of Col·legi de Metges, the main Catalan doctors' association, said that the hunger strike has a "potential risk" for the health of Sànchez and Turull, not only in the long run, but from "the beginning" of their action.
"The more days they strike, the bigger the risk for their health is, but the risks start now, with the strike's beginning," said doctor Jaume Padrós.
- The lawyer Jordi Pina and Barcelona's doctors' association president, Jaume Pedrós, on December 1, 2018 (by Mar Vila)
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