International
Spain jails 2 Catalan leaders in move to impose central rule
Two leaders of two of the largest separatist organizations in the Catalan region have been jailed by Madrid’s High Court as Spain moved closer to imposing central rule over Catalonia in order to thwart its move for independence.
The Madrid court ordered the jailing of the two separatist leaders who are both heads of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and Omnium. They were both jailed without bail pending an investigation for alleged sedition.
According to prosecutors the two separatist leaders identified as Jordi Sanchez and Omnium’s Jordi Cuixart played central roles in orchestrating pro-independence protests that last month trapped national police inside a Barcelona building and destroyed their vehicles.
Read also: France, Germany voice support as pressure mounts on Catalan leader to drop move for independence
The Spanish government is moving closer to imposing direct rule on Catalonia after it warned that authorities in the region must drop a bid for independence days after a deadline to back down passed.
Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont failed on Monday to respond to an ultimatum after Madrid had given him until 10:00 a.m. (0800 GMT) to clarify his position on independence with a “Yes” or “No”, and until Thursday to change his mind if he insisted on a split – saying it would suspend Catalonia’s autonomy if he chose secession.
Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said after the deadline passed that he had not answered the question and had to do so by Thursday.
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