The ANC explains the political oppression in the framework of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

The Catalan National Assembly (ANC) was a guest at the side event on the Catalan Referendum Trial, jointly organized with UNPO in the framework of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. It was in Warsaw on September 24th. Callum Macrae executive producer of theAl Jazeera documentary on the Referendum said that: "The Catalan Referendum was a test of Spanish democracy [...] and we all saw what happened, violence was horrible and unprovoked, it has been a trial of Spain's democracy. That day we saw law enforcement officers taking ballots full of votes, a lot of them with attitudes that correspond more to someone who is doing somethin illicit [...] and for a lot of people, that was a metaphore of an attack to democracy itself."

The ANC President, Elisenda Paluzie, said that "The Catalan Trial is only one example of political oppression in Spain, and this morning we saw a new example. 9 pro-independence activists have been arrested with charges of terrorism and rebellion. Their only crime is owning pots and fireworks. Fundamental human rights are being violated in Spain, and several international organisations have demanded the release of the Catalan Political Prisoners, such as theUN Human Rights Working Group on Arbitrary Detention,COE and Amnesty International. Ignoring this blatant violation of human rights has consequences on the credibility of Europe. A minister of Turkey, when asked on the fact that Kurdish elected mayors were sacked, and replaced by Turkish ones, he answered that 'Spain is doing the same'".

Human Rights lawyer Christophe Marchand "There was no rebellion, there was no violence, and it is exactly what the German judges stated when Puigdemont was tried. We quickly realized it wasn't the first time that Spain used excessive repression, criminalizing opposition".