The Secretary-General Marta Rovira claims that “to defend the rights of the suspended deputies is to defend their voters and democracy too”

Oriol Junqueras, Raül Romeva, Josep Rull, Jordi Sànchez, Jordi Turull and Carles Puigdemont, the deputies that judge Llarena wants to suspend, have presented this morning a lawsuit before the United Nations Human Rights Committee to denounce the violation of their political rights as deputies of the Parliament of Catalonia.

The lawsuits have been shown publicly in an event before the media in the city of Geneva, Switzerland. During the press conference, the event counted on the presence of Nico Krisch, the international lawyer in charge of the lawsuit; the Secretary-General of ERC, Marta Rovira; the deputy of CUP, Maria Sirvent; and the President Carles Puigdemont. The spokeswoman of the republican parliamentary group, Anna Caula; the spokesman of the parliamentary group Junts per Catalunya, Albert Batet; and Ernest Benach on behalf of the former presidents of the Parliament of Catalonia also made an appearance.

The lawsuit presented before the United Nations Human Rights Committee reports that the suspension of the rights of the plaintiff deputies announced last July by the investigating judge in the Supreme Court, Pablo Llarena, “is part of a broad attack by part of the Spanish authorities, especially of prosecutors and courts, against democracy and human rights in Catalonia”. It also warns that the suspension of these positions is something “unheard-of in an occidental democracy and represents a clear violation of the right to run for elections according to international human rights instruments”.

To defend the rights of the suspended deputies is to defend their voters and democracy too

Marta Rovira Secretary-General of Esquerra Republicana

The Secretary-General of Esquerra, Marta Rovira, has explained that “we are here to defend the members of the Catalan Parliament who are in prison and in exile” and has assured that “this suspension is a violation of civil and political rights, not only of the deputies, but also of the people who voted for them”. According to this, the republican leader has stated that “defending the suspended deputies is to defend their voters and democracy too”.

In order to defend democracy and face the future strategy, Rovira has warned that “the unity of all democrats is completely essential; we deal with a repression that affects politicians, humorists, singers, journalists, teachers, etc.” “We have always said that before pro-independence we are democrats, and therefore it is essential that we do this defense together, all the democrats”, she added.

Regarding the trial against pro-independence leaders, Rovira has explained that “the following months will be hard and the repression will turn into a trial, a trial with a lack of guaranties and with reports that are a fraud”. Therefore, Rovira has urged the citizens to “repeat themselves that having a referendum is not a crime but the exercise of democracy”. “Today, we are here to generate self-esteem. We are pro-independence and we defend a democratic and legitimate project. They will not be able to criminalize an ideology”, has concluded Rovira.