Alfred Bosch, Marta Rovira, Sergi Sabrià and Joan Ignasi Elena once again demand the immediate release of the political prisoners as required by the United Nations resolution which considers that their deprivation of freedom is “arbitrary”

Catalonia’s Foreign Minister Alfred Bosch has called on the Spanish government to “comply with the UN's ruling on the release of the political prisoners” and said that “the Spanish administration must comply with the rulings of the United Nations”.

The international body published on May 29 a resolution that considers Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sànchez “arbitrarily deprived of freedom” for different reasons, including the nonexistence of a “legal basis that justifies it” and because “it constitutes a breach of international law” on political opinion, as borne out by the opinion.

The document also indicates that compensation and reparations should be provided to the political prisoners and that there should be a thorough and independent investigation. In fact, Republican Left Secretary General Marta Rovira referred to the opinion via Twitter: “it is very clear and it demands the PSOE government act”, she said.

Will Spain be one of the 5% of countries that do not comply with UN resolutions? It is clear to us: release the political prisoners and allow the return of the exiles immediately. Enough repression in revenge

Sergi Sabrià Chair of the Republican Parliamentary Group

In the same vein as Mr Bosch, the Chair of the Republican Parliamentary Group Sergi Sabrià said in a speech in the chamber: “The remand custody of our friends, political prisoners, is excessive, unfair, disproportionate and a breach of human rights”. “Today the UN has required their release and indemnification, and after this resolution we demand that they be released immediately”, added Mr Sabrià.

The Chair of the Parliamentary Group was emphatic and asked whether the Spanish State would dare to fail to comply with a United Nations resolution: “Will Spain be one of the 5% of countries that do not comply with UN resolutions? It is clear to us: release the political prisoners and allow the return of the exiles immediately. Enough repression in revenge”, he sentenced.

For his part, Esquerra Republicana’s spokesman on legal issues Joan Ignasi Elena also referred to the UN resolution, standing at the doors to the Supreme Court where the trial on democracy was being held: “We call on the Spanish state and the court to abandon this escalation of repression, initiate talks on the situation being experienced in Catalonia and release the prisoners immediately”.

Mr Elena also pointed out that the working group issuing the report will monitor the question to ensure it is complied with: “Let us not forget that in two similar recent cases in Europe, in France and Poland, the decision was made to release them”, he concluded.