Spanish Supreme Court keeps Junqueras in jail

The Spanish Supreme Court ruled to keep Catalan vice president, Oriol Junqueras, in precautionary jail at the Estremera prison, in Madrid. The three magistrates of the Spanish court Miguel Colmenero, Alberto Jorge Barreiro, and Francisco Monterde have reached the conclusion based on the hearing that took place yesterday, January 4. The Spanish prosecutor had already requested to keep the Catalan leader in prison, since the judiciary entity believes that Junqueras hasn’t “renounced illegal means” to achieve his political goals.

The magistrates dictated a document explaining that they believe there to be possibilities for crimes of rebellion, sedition, and misuse of funds, noting that there is a “relevant risk” of criminal reiteration because there is “no element” that leads the court to believe that Junqueras “has the intention of abandoning the path he’s followed up until now.”

This is the second time that the Supreme Court has turned down the deposed vice president’s plea to be let out on bond. After Junqueras as put incarcerated without bail with seven of his colleagues on November 2, six of them were let out on bond on December 4. However, at that time the Spanish Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena ruled to keep Junqueras as well as deposed Home Affairs minister Joaquim Forn and civil society leaders Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart as he believed there to be risk for re-offending.

Indeed, regarding the perceived risk of reiteration, the court stated that the commitment to dialogue that Junqueras and his lawyer argued for “was only asked for or thought of exclusively in reference to the way in which the Spanish state could lend itself to recognizing Catalonia’s independence,” which they argue would lead again to previous ways If it was rejected or prevented by the Spanish government.