Four of the Catalan political prisoners - former vice president Oriol Junqueras, minister Raül Romeva, and civil leaders Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart - have arrived at the penitentiary of Zuera (Zaragoza) en route from Madrid to Catalonia, following the decision to allow them to be moved to jails closer to their Catalan homes.
The four pro-independence leaders, who have been remand in jail for months on charges arising from last year's referendum and independence process, arrived at the penitentiary in Aragon around 3pm after a journey in a Civil Guard bus this morning from the Madrid locality of Valdemoro, where they had been regrouped from Estremera prison (Junqueras and Romeva) and Soto del Real (Sànchez i Cuixart), as sources close to the transfer process told the EFE agency.
@junqueras @raulromeva @jordialapreso and @jcuixart arrive to the prison of #Zuera in Zaragoza.
— Enric Pinyol (@epinyol) 3 of July 2018
They could|might spend the night in the penitentiary before coming back tomorrow to Catalonia. @324cat pic.twitter.com/f1v0krEtc1
@junqueras @raulromeva @jordialapreso and @jcuixart arrive at #Zuera prison in Zaragoza. They could spend the night in the penitentiary here before returning to Catalonia tomorrow.
The four Catalan leaders' bus journey is on a standard transport means for prisoners, and on board their bus were a total of 22 prisoners; the stop in Zuera is part of the normal protocol for transfers.
Meanwhile, former Catalan minister Dolors Bassa and ex-speaker of parliament Carme Forcadell remain in Alcalá Meco prison in Madrid on Tuesday, and it is believed they will be moved directly to Catalonia on Wednesday.
As well, in the next few days it is expected that the three political prisoners who are still in Estremera, Josep Rull, Jordi Turull and Joaquim Forn, will be moved to Catalan prisons after Supreme Court judge Llarena gave his authorization on Tuesday.
Individual cells
Junqueras, Romeva, Sànchez and Cuixart will be lodged in individual cells in the admissions wing of Zuera prison until their final transfer to Catalan prisons.
This has been confirmed to EFE by penitentiary sources, who explained that the prisoners will now remain in their respective cells until they resume their journey. According to the transfer protocol used by the Civil Guard unit specialized in this type of transfer, Uprose, the prisoners are not taken directly from Madrid to Catalan prisons, but make a stop at the Aragonese prison.
The sources explain that the Catalan prisoners will receive exactly the same treatment as the other prisoners being transferred - and it is under the standard rules that they will be held in their cells until their departure.