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A8 WORLD NEWS
Friday 31 May 2019
Spain decries UN working group’s opinion on jailed Catalans

By ARITZ PARRA ed at least until Septem- pean court said that the
JOSEPH WILSON ber. The defendants have decision by Spain’s Con-
Associated Press been in jail for more than stitutional Court’s had not
MADRID (AP) — The Span- 18 months and they have violated their rights since its
ish government has dis- become a powerful sym- action was “aimed at pro-
missed the conclusions of bol for separatists, who see tecting the Constitutional
a panel of experts working their jailing as unfair. order” and taken “in the
under the United Nations Under Spanish law, sus- interests of public safety
umbrella that called for the pects can be held in custo- (and) for the prevention of
release from custody three dy if they represent a flight disorder.”
Catalan separatists on trial risk, if the court believes Junqueras, Puigdemont
in Spain. they could commit possible and a former fellow mem-
In a non-binding but po- further crimes, or if there is a ber of the regional Cabinet,
litically damaging opinion risk they could destroy evi- Toni Comín, were recently
published on Wednesday, A banner reading in Catalan: “Freedom political and exiled dence. elected to the European
the U.N. Working Group on prisoners” hangs from the balcony of the Palau Generalitat, in Other leaders of the seces- Parliament, although they
Arbitrary Detention asked Sant Jaume square in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, May 27, 2019. sion bid, including former face legal hurdles to ac-
Spain to end the pre-trial Associated Press Catalan regional presi- tually take their seats. Jun-
jailing of Catalan regional Rights Council based in tiality” and called on the dent Carles Puigdemont, queras would need to get
vice president, Oriol Jun- Geneva. Though they are U.N. to make sure that its fled the country and are a temporary permit to get
queras, and activists Jordi not U.N. staff, their opinions semi-independent working fugitives from Spain, while out of jail and pick up his
Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart. are meant to pressure gov- groups are not used “for the current Catalan chief, lawmaker credential from
The working group said ernments but are often ig- spurious purposes.” Quim Torra, has promised Spain’s Electoral Board.
that the three, who were nored. The three Catalans are to continue to push for in- Puigdemont and Comín
detained following Cata- However, the Spanish gov- among a dozen separatist dependence. face immediate arrest if
lonia’s 2017 secession at- ernment slammed the re- leaders on trial at Spain’s Speaking on Wednesday they set foot on Spanish ter-
tempt, were arbitrarily port, saying the group’s Supreme Court on a num- after the report was pub- ritory.
detained and their rights opinion failed to take into ber of charges, including lished, Torra called the On Friday, both of them
violated. It also suggested account the crimes said rebellion, for their roles in opinion “demolishing” for were banned from access-
that they should receive to have been committed disobeying a court ban Spain and called the ongo- ing the European cham-
compensation for their as well as ignoring Spain’s and holding a prohibited ing Supreme Court trial “a ber’s building in Brussels
time behind bars and that laws that ban referenda independence referen- farce.” to pick up temporary ac-
Spain should investigate on the independence of a dum as well as making a The opinion’s release creditations that are being
their detentions. part of the country. subsequent independence comes a day after the handed out to other elect-
The working group is made In a statement, the gov- declaration on Oct. 2017. European Court of Hu- ed lawmakers.
up of five independent, ernment raised “doubts” With hearings in the ongo- man Rights rejected a suit A spokesman at the bloc’s
non-paid experts appoint- about the group’s “inde- ing televised trial set to end brought by Catalan sepa- parliament said officials
ed by the U.N.’s Human pendence and impar- in mid-June, state prosecu- ratist lawmakers claim- can decide not to hand
tors on Wednesday said ing that Spain’s top court out the temporary badges
they are upholding their violated their rights when it on an individual basis un-
proposed sentence of 25 ruled to suspend a regional til the EU’s member states
years for Junqueras, with parliamentary session to submit their respective of-
smaller proposed sentenc- declare independence ficial lists of elected depu-
es for the other defendants. two years ago. ties, clarifying the situation
A sentence is not expect- In that decision, the Euro- for those in doubt.q

Ukrainian parliament defies new

president, keeps Cabinet

Associated Press forts to form a more loyal
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrai- Cabinet. The Verkhovna
nian lawmakers on Thurs- Rada refused on Thursday
day refused to accept to accept the resignation
the Cabinet’s resignation, of Prime Minister Volody-
in another snub to the na- myr Groysman, keeping his
tion’s newly sworn-in presi- Cabinet in place.
dent. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, That vote follows the par-
the comedian who won liament turning down a
a landslide victory in last proposal by Zelenskiy to
month’s presidential elec- amend the electoral law
tion, faces a hostile parlia- last week. Despite the Ra-
ment dominated by former da’s resistance, Zelenskiy
President Petro Poroshen- on Thursday asked parlia-
Ukrainian President Volodymyr ko’s supporters. ment to dismiss three top
Zelenskiy, greets media prior Zelenskiy called snap par- Poroshenko loyalists — For-
his meeting with German liamentary elections for July eign Minister Pavlo Klimkin,
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas 21 in a bid to get more of his Defense Minister Stepan
and French Foreign Minister supporters into parliament. Poltorak and SBU Security
Jean-Yves Le Drian in Kiev,
Ukraine, Thursday, May 30, In anticipation of that, law- service chief Vasyl Gritsak.
2019. makers have sought to A date has not yet been
Associated Press block the president’s ef- set for a vote..q