Trial of Catalonia independence leaders

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Causa Especial 20907/2017
Supreme Court of Spain in Madrid.
Court	Supreme Court of Spain
Full case name	Causa Especial número: 20907/2017 del Tribunal Supremo de España
Decided	14 October 2019 (2019-10-14)
Transcript(s)	Summary Popular accusation by Vox Supreme Court's verdict
Case history
Subsequent action(s)	Nine defendants sentenced to 9 to 13 years in prison on sedition and misuse of public funds charges; three other defendants fined for disobedience
Related action(s)	Six defendants sent their cases to the High Court of Justice of Catalonia
Court membership
Judges sitting	Manuel Marchena (president) Antonio del Moral García Luciano Varela Andrés Martínez Arrieta Juan Ramón Berdugo Gómez de la Torre Ana María Ferrer García Andrés Palomo del Arco
Case opinions
Concur/dissent	Unanimous ruling
Keywords
2017 Catalan independence referendum

The trial of Catalonia independence leaders, legally named Causa Especial 20907/2017 and popularly known as the Causa del procés, was an oral trial that began on 12 February 2019 in the Supreme Court of Spain. The case was tried by seven judges and was chaired by judge Manuel Marchena. Judge Pablo Llarena [es; ca] had previously coordinated an instruction between October 2017 and July 2018, as a result of which 12 people were tried, including the previous vice president Oriol Junqueras of the regional government and most of the cabinet as well as political activists Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart and the former Speaker of the Parliament of Catalonia Carme Forcadell. Some defendants remained in pre-trial detention without bail from the beginning of the instruction process and have thus already served part of their sentence.

The accused were tried for the events surrounding the organization and celebration of the 2017 Catalan independence referendum after it was declared illegal and was suspended by the Constitutional Court of Spain, the passing of laws to override the Constitution of Spain and Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia that were declared illegal and the Catalan declaration of independence on 27 October 2017.

The trial proceedings officially ended on 12 June 2019. A unanimous verdict by the seven judges that tried the case was made public on 14 October 2019. Nine of the 12 accused received prison sentences for the crimes of sedition; of them, four were also found guilty of misuse of public funds. Their sentences ranged from 9 to 13 years. The remaining three accused were found guilty of disobedience and were sentenced to pay a fine but received no prison term. The court dismissed the charges of rebellion.^[1] Some of the defendants of the trial have expressed their intention to appeal to the Constitutional Court of Spain and the European Court of Human Rights.^[2][3] The verdict delivered by the Supreme Court sparked multiple protests across the region.

In June 2021, the nine jailed leaders were pardoned. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that he pardoned them because it was the best decision for Spain and Catalonia, but did not overturn their bans from holding public office.^[4]