Puigdemont Requests "Sincere Dialog"

Last week Rajoy gave Puigdemont a deadline of Monday to say whether or not he was declaring independence. The deadline went unanswered.

Instead, Puigdemont sent a letter to Rajoy seeking a sincere dialog, but it is a dialog that Rajoy will not accept.

Meanwhile, High Court Judge Carmen Lamela had to decide whether or not to grant the request of the public prosecutor to hold the chief of the Catalan police force, Josep Lluís Trapero, in prison without bail. Trapero appeared in Spain's High Court in Madrid today for the second time, on charges of sedition.

At around 6.20pm, news broke that Trapero would not have to be held in custody, and was released under precautionary measures.

Letter to Rajoy

El Pais has the full text of the Letter to Rajoy, transcribed in English. The letter states that the Catalan police (Mossos d'Esquadra), is one of the most respected police forces in Europe, and police chief Trapero faithfully and rigorously fulfills its duty.