Police State Mistreatment Against Illegally Jailed Catalan Ministers

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Spain is a fascist police state, PM Rajoy a tinpot despot, Spaniards nationwide abused by his ruthlessness.

Illegally jailed Catalan ministers are enduring abusive practices, according to lawyers representing them.

They filed a complaint citing "unjustifiable vexatious" mistreatment. Attorney Jaume Alonso-Cuevillas said ministers were painfully handcuffed, arms behind their backs.

Forced to listen to Spain's national anthem en route to prison, two ministers were stripped naked, treated like drug dealers. Medical reports showed handcuffing injured deposed Justice Minister Carles Mundo.

Pro-independence Catalan Democratic Party Senate spokesman Josep Lluis Cleries said "(h)ow can the Spanish government justify these actions while boasting about their respect for legality?" 

A video was posted showing Spanish National Police mocking arrested ministers when arriving in court, one officer saying "(w)hen they get him on all fours, they'll fix his eye," referring to illegally deposed Vice President Oriol Junqueras.

Alonso-Cuevillas called what's happening "outrageous," adding he heard nothing from Madrid condemning it, showing complicity through silence - the way all police states operate.

New polls show pro-Catalan independence parties favored to win snap December elections. With Madrid controlling them, it's unlikely.

Stalin once explained "(i)t's not the people who vote that count. The people who count the votes decide everything."

Election rigging is common practice by rogue states, assuring regime-supporting candidates win control of legislatures and office of the president in nations having them. Majority parliamentarians choose the prime minister - a Rajoy puppet likely installed in December.

Activist pro-independence sentiment is the wild card - how strong and committed. Enough popular resistance against Madrid might achieve the preferred outcome.

It's a long time from now until December 21, snap election day. Much can happen between now and then.

One thing's for sure. Catalans are largely on their own, the world community with Madrid, not them - a major obstacle but not insurmountable.

Majority pro-independence Catalans have their fate in their own hands, success possible provided they're willing to go all-out for the goal they seek.

On Sunday, deposed President Puigdemont and four deposed ministers in Brussels turned themselves in to Belgian police.

Madrid issued a warrant for their arrest. They were taken into custody early Sunday morning. In hours, they'll appear before a local judge. 

He has until Monday to decide their fate. They're held for a maximum of 24 hours until a ruling on them is announced.

According to Brussels prosecutor's office spokesman Gilles Dejemeppe, the judge's options range from "refusal to execute the European arrest warrant, arresting the people involved, releasing them on conditions or under bail."

He'll decide what's next, likely to rule favorably for Madrid - a surprise if he decides otherwise.

A Final Comment

On Saturday, residents of a French region bordering Catalonia demanded a united Catalan state.

Thousands turned out in Pergignan, France, demanding their own independence referendum.

Waving Catalan independence flags, they demonstrated under the motto "We are Northern Catalonia. We want to decide." They demanded release of illegally jailed Catalan officials. 

In Spain's Basque region, thousands turned out on Saturday, opposing use of Article 155, expressing solidarity with pro-independence Catalans.

Crisis conditions ongoing for weeks show no signs of ending, the outcome by no means certain.

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