Spanish Supreme Court Decision Not Solution To Catalan Conflict - Foreign Minister

Spanish Supreme Court Decision Not Solution to Catalan Conflict - Foreign Minister

The verdicts issued by the Spanish Supreme Court in relation to the 2017 independence referendum does not aim to solve the so-called Catalan conflict but rather to assess the actions of the politicians who drove the independence movement forward, Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said Tuesday

MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2019) The verdicts issued by the Spanish Supreme Court in relation to the 2017 independence referendum does not aim to solve the so-called Catalan conflict but rather to assess the actions of the politicians who drove the independence movement forward, Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said Tuesday.

On Monday, nine Catalan separatist leaders were sentenced by Spain's highest court to prison terms from 9-13 years on charges of sedition during an illegal referendum on Catalan independence in 2017. The ruling immediately triggered protests and violent clashes.

"Will the ruling solve the so-called Catalan Conflict? Obviously, no. Judgments are passed to evaluate particular acts and not ideas or political stances ... Every day the independence movement freely expresses its position in parliament, congress, on the street, everywhere. To my mind, the trial explores actions," Borrell told reporters.

He claimed that the legal process was transparent and the government could only respect the decision as such rulings could not be assessed or commented on.

According to the minister and future head of European diplomacy this is, above all, a conflict between Catalans themselves. He added that division within society was the root of the problem, pointing out that some Catalans did not back the idea of independence the way it was presented by separatist leaders. Therefore, the situation deteriorates and the parties cannot reach an agreement.

The trial started in February, and more then 300 witnesses testified in the months that followed. The key question that triggered protests in early October was whether or not riots took place in 2017 during the period of the independence referendum.