Resistance unbroken: "All this is a procedural vodevil"

The nine pro-independence leaders in preventive prison have sat in the dock of the Supreme Court in the most significant trial in the recent history of Spanish democracy. They have done so alongside former regional ministers Meritxell Borràs, Carles Mundó and Santi Vila.

The twelve accused parties are located in the centre of the courtroom, facing the bench, sitting in four rows of three persons each. At the forefront were Oriol Junqueras, Raül Romeva and Joaquim Forn, followed by Jordi Sánchez, Jordi Turull and Josep Rull. Jordi Cuixart, Carme Forcadell and Dolors Bassa sat at the third row, and Mundó, Vila and Borràs were at the rear.

                                                                      Resistance unbroken.

The prosecution -the State Attorney General, the Government Attorney's Office and the private prosecution, Vox- sit to the left of the bench. Javier Zaragoza and Fidel Cadena were present on behalf of the State Attorney General today, and Fascist party Vox was represented by Javier Ortega Smith. Andreu Van den Eynde, the defence counsel of two Catalan Government members opened the pleadings of the defences in the Catalan independence trial. "All this is a procedural vodevil. Self-determination is synonymous with peace and not war. This cause prevents the development of this ideology", he said.

Jordi Pina, the defence councel of several Catalan democrats, has said "I want to denounce certain circumstances of this process that cause the accused to fear the impartiality of this court. A trial can not be started without the parties having all the evidence and documents, the right to a fair trial must be respected." Addressing four of the magistrates, he told them that they should not judge the prosecuted: "I also consider that you four should not be able to judge these facts to be contaminated, having made a legal assessment in the instructional phase, which is eminently prohibited."

The lawyer has continued his narrative in this line: "When a magistrate uses the first person of the plural to refer to facts that he has to judge, it is normal for him to doubt his suitability," and criticized the impartial action of the judge Monterde because "tweets have been made from the association of which he is vice president against the accused." "Act as judges and not of rescuers of the fatherland".

600 accredited journalists

And already in the early hours of the first day, there was a crowd outside the Madrid building, including scores of journalists. As many as 600 professionals are accredited for the duration of the trial, from 150 media outlets – 50 of which are international. Reporters from such outlets such as the New York Times, the BBC, Al Jazeera and more were in attendance, as well as correspondents for media from Sweden, Flanders, Portugal, or the Francophone and Arab-speaking world.

Observers gain access as public

The morning hours also saw a long line of people waiting to get in – among these, were international observers. Officially denied attendance as such by the courts, some observers were however ultimately able to gain access to the trial as members of the public. The morning additionally saw various politicians and officials in attendance – including the Catalan president and vice president and other members of the government, members of various associations, and Barcelona city officials.

“We’re already nervous enough,” says wife of jailed leader

The wives, husbands, siblings, and children of the prosecuted leaders arrived to the courtroom shortly after their family members. Many have been in the public eye, active in rallying support for the accused and raising awareness of the trial, often appearing at protests together or reading letters on behalf of their relatives. This morning scene saw some confusion, though, as some were originally thought to not be on the list of those allowed access to the premises, although they were ultimately able to go in with help from lawyers who were with them. “We’re already nervous enough,” said the wife of Raül Romeva about the incident.