Two town councillors of the pro-independence party CUP arrested yesterday by the Catalan police, Marta Llorens and Oriol Ciruana, have been freed, because the detention was only intended to secure their appearance at the court. The judge in the southern Catalan city of Reus released the two town councilors of the radical left-wing CUP (Popular Unity Candidature) following their arrest on Wednesday and appearance in the court on Thursday morning, although they chose not to testify, according to the High Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC).
Llorens and Ciurana are under investigation for alleged crimes of inciting hatred against Spanish police in actions relating to the Catalan independence referendum on 1st October, and were temporarily detained after refusing twice to appear before the judicial authority. At the appearance, both chose not to answer questions, as is their legal right, and were informed of their situation in the procedure, and of the specifc acts in which they are considered to be involved.
Earlier, following the detention of the pair by the Catalan Mossos police on Wednesday, thousands of people had gathered to protest their arrest before town halls in different Catalan cities, among them Reus, Sabadell, Mataró, Manresa and Barcelona.
Gràcies #Reus, seguim #dempeus demanant la llibertat de la Marta i de l'Oriol! Les seves lleis són paper mullat i el seu estat és putrefacte! Si volen que declarem ens hauran de venir a buscar! @cupnacional @ANC_Reus @omniumbaixcamp @CasalDPF @EdgarFdz @oriolciurana84 pic.twitter.com/8UbrQfXHDZ
— CUP Reus (@CUPReus) 27 de desembre de 2017
Meanwhile, a third Reus town councillor in the CUP group, Mariona Quadrada, has been cited to appear before the judge on Friday on similar charges; she told the radio station RAC1 that she will not appear as she "does not recognise Spanish justice", and it is a "question of being coherent".
"I won't appear before the judge and I will wait for them to proceed as they will", said Quadrada. "I will probably be arrested," she added.