‘A jail without bars’ – one year on, activist remains confined to Catalan town

Tamara Carrasco can’t leave Viladecans despite dismissal of initial charges of terrorism and rebellion from pro-independence protests

Pro-independence activist Tamara Carrasco in April 2019 (by ACN)
Pro-independence activist Tamara Carrasco in April 2019 (by ACN) / Alan Ruiz Terol

Alan Ruiz Terol | Viladecans

April 10, 2019 01:36 PM

One year on, pro-independence activist Tamara Carrasco remains confined to the Catalan town of Viladecans after initial charges of terrorism and rebellion were dismissed over lack of evidence.

"It’s like a jail without bars,” she said in an interview with the Catalan News Agency.

A rare precautionary measure—which is more often applied in cases of gender violence—the restriction on Carrasco’s freedom of movement will be in place at least until a new court assumes her case.  

Carrasco was arrested by Spanish police on April 10, 2018. She was accused of instructing a local branch of the activism group Committees in Defense of the Republic (CDR) to protest, by cutting roads and blocking toll booths.