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"We can already be certain that this will not be a fair trial." This was the evaluation given by Catalonia's president Quim Torra, who this Saturday visited the Catalan political prisoners in the Soto del Real and Alcalá-Meco jails near Madrid. Three days before the start of their trial, the head of the Catalan government gave the nine jailed defendants his personal support and asked Spain's prime minister Pedro Sánchez to have the "courage" to allow discussions on the right to self-determination to take place.

As he left Soto del Real, the president explained that, given the conditions of the transfers which the prisoners will face and the daily operation of the trial, "we can already be certain that the trial will not be fair" or with the necessary guarantees. He said that the prisoners had asked him to "tell the world about the farce that has been put together in order to strangle an idea of ​​freedom and self-determination."

With regard to the suspension of negotiations between the Catalan and Spanish governments, Torra lamented the "retreat" of the Spanish leadership, who he accused of having walked away from the table. He insinuated that "the threat of the mobilization of the far right or the Socialist party's regional barons" may have had an influence. For that reason he called for "dialogue and courage" to talk about the right of self-determination.

President Generalitat Quim Torra Soto del Real - ACN

"We are screwed down onto the dialogue table, but it must be a dialogue with guarantees, with a calendar, with content," said the head of the Catalan executive. He appealed to Sánchez to speak about self-determination, for the Spanish government to present its proposal and for there to be an "international rapporteur" present. He noted that "both sides must take risks."

According to the president, the Catalan prisoners asked Torra's government to be "their loudspeaker in the world" in "accusing" the Spanish state. Torra quoted Jordi Sànchez, as having referred to "the flag of dialogue and self-determination, which must always go together.".

Just days before the trial begins in the Supreme Court, the Catalan president visited all the political prisoners this Saturday in Madrid. He first spent time with Carme Forcadell and Dolors Bassa in Alcalá-Meco, and later with Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Sànchez, Jordi Cuixart, Quim Forn, Raül Romeva, Jordi Turull and Josep Rull in Soto del Real.