SANT JOAN DE VILATORRADA, Spain (AP) — Jailed Catalan separatist politicians on hunger strike for the past two weeks say their upcoming trial will be a platform to foster their cause for independence from Spain.
In rare interviews in a prison north of Barcelona, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Turull, who has been in a medical ward since Friday, repeated calls for dialogue between Catalan officials and Spain's central authorities in Madrid and rejected any depiction of the secessionist movement in the northeastern region as a violent one.
Sanchez told The Associated Press that their trial, set to begin early next year, will be "a unique moment to denounce the attitude of the kingdom of Spain contrary to the political and democratic rights in Catalonia."
Spain says the case's 22 defendants are being prosecuted for making an illegal attempt to secede.
