The trial of the pro-independence leaders comes to a close

The trial in the case against twelve leaders of the 1 October referendum – Oriol Junqueras, Raül Romeva, Jordi Turull, Dolors Bassa, Quim Forn, Josep Rull, Carme Forcadell, Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart, in provisional detention; and Meritxell Borràs, Carles Mundó and Santi Vila – comes to a close. Held over the course of 52 sessions in the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court, presided over by Manuel Marchena, the trial lasted four months and revolved around two events: the search at the CatalanMinistry of the Economy on 20 September 2017 and the protest it sparked, on the one hand, and the 1 October referendum, on the other. The sentencing requests remain the same: the Prosecutor’s Office calls for 25 years in prison for Junqueras and between 16 and 17 years for the rest of the defendants accused of rebellion, while the State Attorney’s Office, which considers the events to be sedition, calls for sentences ranging from seven to 12 years. VOX seeks sentences ranging from 24 to 74 years.