Former chief prosecutor of Catalonia: "I’m convinced they’re political prisoners"

BarcelonaThe former chief prosecutor of Catalonia between 1996 and 2006, José María Mena, declared on Monday in an interview on TV3’s 'Els matins' that he is "convinced" that Oriol Junqueras, Joaquim Forn, Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart are all "political prisoners". "These crimes have a political dimension, with political intent and political outcomes", he added.

Mena also rejected the arguments made by the Supreme Court (SC) judge Pablo Llarena in support of his decision to keep the vice president, the minister and the two grassroots activists in prison. "I totally disagree with him on every level", Mena declared, referring to Llarena’s allegations of "criminal recidivism". He also rejected the claim that the violence attributed to them for which they are being charged with rebellion actually took place. According to Mena, "It is necessary that such violence is voluntarily orchestrated by the organizers in order for it to take place", adding "and everyone in Catalonia is perfectly aware that this was simply not the case".

The former chief prosecutor was adamant that the independence movement is lawful and it should not be pursued through the courts. In addition, Mena stated that he has read the legal reports on which Llarena's rulings are based, declaring them to be "a highly imaginative ploy". Nevertheless, while he believes that there may be evidence of "disobedience, dereliction of duty and embezzlement", Mena insists that "they do not signify rebellion".