The president of Catalonia, Quim Torra, has Thursday denounced the start of the trial following last year's independence referendum. He said that it's not only the politicians and social leaders who are going on trial, but also the "two million Catalans" who voted. He said it "consummates the infamy" and repeated that they will not accept any sentence other than full acquittal.
"The state should know that we won't accept any sentence that isn't acquittal", he warned, adding that otherwise "we'll confront the sentence with the determination of the 1st October [referendum] and the strength of 3rd October". He believes that the case should have been dropped instead today, a case he sees as a "general lawsuit against the independence movement".
Talking specifically about those who have been held for months now in pretrial detention, Torra described them as "nine honourable and democratic politicians who simply gave the people a voice".
Torra's words come after the second chamber of the Supreme Court today closed the investigation and started the trial phase of the referendum case. Now begin the formalities which will lead to the imprisoned government ministers, Jordi Sànchez, Jordi Cuixart and the prosecuted senior Catalan Parliament deputies sitting in the dock.
Amb l’obertura de judici oral al Suprem es consuma la infàmia. No només es jutjaran polítics honorables sinó els 2,3 milions de catalans que vam votar l'1-O. No acceptarem cap sentència que no sigui la lliure absolució i ens hi enfrontarem amb la força de l'1 i el 3 d'octubre.
— Quim Torra i Pla (@QuimTorraiPla) 25 d’octubre de 2018