The Department of Justice emphasizes that “it is not a requirement to have served a quarter of the sentence to be deemed fit for open prison” and that if it depended on the Catalan Government, the political prisoners “would never have been jailed”

A gleam of freedom from the unjust imprisonment suffered by the political prisoners. The parole boards at Lledoners, Wad-Ras and Puig de les Basses prisons “have unanimously expressed support for open prison” for the political prisoners, as announced by the Department of Justice’s Secretary for Penitentiaries, Amand Calderó.

Thus if within two months the classification service resolves favourably for open prison as proposed, Oriol Junqueras, Carme Forcadell, Dolors Bassa, Raül Romeva, Jordi Cuixart, Jordi Sánchez, Joaquim Forn, Jordi Turull and Josep Rull will be allowed to leave their unjust imprisonment from Mondays to Fridays, returning but to sleep, and spending weekends at home.

Mr Calderó remarked that were it for the Government of Catalonia, none of the nine convicts “would ever have gone to prison” and recalled that “open prison is still a form of imprisonment.” He also stressed that in order to qualify for open prison, it is not a requirement to have served a quarter of the sentence: “there are many other criteria to take into account in the evolution of the prisoner’s qualification,” he added. The Secretary for Penitentiaries also recalled that the parole boards “are made up of independent professionals” and that they take their technical decisions in compliance with the law.

The review of the classification comes, as per penitentiary regulations, six months after the initial review, when at the beginning of January the political prisoners were classed as ordinary prisoners.