The Government of Catalonia has been imprisoned for crimes as serious as rebellion, sedition and
embezzlement. The members of the Government who are not in prison are at liberty in Belgium,
despite the attempts of Spanish justice to take them to prison. Prior to this, the Spanish Senate
approved the implementation of article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, which led not only to the
dissolution of the Parliament of Catalonia but also to the replacement of the legitimate Government of
Catalonia with a team of politicians from the Partido Popular, a party that now controls Catalan
democratic institutions by remote control from Madrid. A party that in Catalonia has less than 9% of
parliamentary representation.
These facts are not only intolerable in 21st century Europe, but also dangerously reminiscent of
past episodes of the history of Spain that millions of Catalans thought were buried and forgotten.
The imprisonment of a government democratically elected by the citizens simply to fulfill their electoral program
is intolerable and a flagrant attack on the Human and Democratic Rights that govern the European Union.
This is why we join the many petitions demanding the release of the Catalan political prisoners, who now include
not only are the presidents of Òmnium and the ANC, Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sánchez, but also the members of a
government elected by Catalan society in elections on September 27, 2015.
In addition, we express our support and call for the mobilization of the Catalan citizenry in the events convened by the Crida per la Democràcia (Call for Democracy), starting with a mass mobilization in Barcelona on Saturday November 11. And finally, we call on Catalans who live outside Catalonia to be on the alert and prepared for coming events that will be taking place both in Catalonia and abroad in defense of Catalan institutions and democracy in our country.
As has been demonstrated with the recent pronouncements of Belgian justice, "the Catalan case" is not an internal affair of the kingdom of Spain. The call for democracy and freedom is something that deserves and requires the attention of democrats the world over. It is for this reason that we issue a final appeal to residents of Catalonia abroad to raise the awareness of the citizens of their country of residence of the situation Catalonia is undergoing and turn them into partners in this struggle that challenges everyone who believes in democracy and Human Rights.
Catalans al món |
