The existence of political prisoners in Europe, from Julian Assange to the Catalan pro-independence leaders jailed by Spain, has been denounced once again by Catalonia's exiled president Carles Puigdemont this afternoon before the plenary session of the European Parliament.
Speaking before European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, in the context of the debate on the conclusions of the extraordinary meeting of the European Council held on 23rd April, the MEP Puigdemont warned that the EU risked being "seriously weakened as a project useful to citizens if it is not able to offer solutions" - underlining that this has to apply not only to economic problems, but also to social issues.
He asked EU leaders to make a comparison: "When the economy weakens, resources are mobilised and debt is collected. But when human rights weaken and shrink, who pays the bill?" inquired the Catalan MEP.
Puigdemont warned that human rights are in danger in Europe, referring to the existence of political prisoners, and noting that today Amnesty International has once again called on Spain to release the jailed Catalan activists Jordi Sánchez and Jordi Cuixart.
Finally he asked: "Does the EU have a plan to save democracy when it has been damaged in this way?"
The speech drew applause from some of the MEPs who were following the plenary at a safe distance, many of them wearing masks and gloves.