Jordi Turull, Josep Rull, and Joaquim Forn, the three Catalan political prisoners not included in the first group to be transferred to jails in Catalonia, will also be bound for the central Catalonia prison of Lledoners, near Manresa, in the next few days. Penitentiary sources have explained that the Catalan justice department has assigned this prison centre to the three jailed pro-independence politicians, after their transfer was earlier approved by the Spanish authorities.
The Lledoners prison, built in 2008 and one of the most modern in the Catalan prison system, will thus house the seven male pro-independence leaders, while the two women ―minister Dolors Bassa and ex-speaker of Parliament Carme Forcadell― have been assigned to Puig de les Basses prison near Figueres, in the north of Catalonia.
The Spanish prison administration body, part of Spain's interior ministry, notified Catalonia's justice department of its intention to transfer Turull, Rull and Forn, after Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena said on Tuesday that he had no objection to the transfer.
Penitentiary sources told the EFE agency that the three prisoners will not be moved imminently, as the formalities for the transfer are yet to be formalised. It is expected that Turull, Rull and Forn will follow the same process as the rest of the male prisoners: a Civil Guard van will drive them to the Aragonese prison of Zuera, from where they will leave for the centre of Brians 2, near the Catalan town of Sant Esteve Sesrovires.
The Brians 2 prison is the normal point of processing for remand prisoners prior to their onward transfer to other centres, and after arrival there, the three former Catalan government ministers are expected to be driven by the Mossos d'Esquadra to Lledoners, about 70 kilometres from Barcelona. All the male pro-independence leaders will thus be incarcerated in the same penitentiary for the first time since their ordeal began, months ago.