They hide themselves under the name of
'International Trial Watch' but in reality they aren’t but six Catalan
associations linked to the independence movement ever since several months ago.
The Supreme Court is planning to reject their presence as
observers in the trial which will start in February, as well as the presence of the rest of supposed
‘international observers’, on the assumption that not only would they be unnecessary, but also that
they would not develop an objective job.
Under this English name there are actually hidden
six associations based in Barcelona: Associació Catalana per a la Defensa dels
Drets Humans, Collectiu Praga, Institut de Drets Humans de Catalunya, Irídia,
Novact, and the Observatori del sistema penal y els drets humans de la Universidad
Autónoma de Barcelona. Even on their
website they fully endorse the discourse of the defendants: "The defenses
have warned from the first moment that it is a political trial. They have
alleged the inexistence of the crimes for which their representatives are
accused and have repeatedly asked for the release of the inmates".
The legal sources consulted have explained that the
'ad hoc' motive for which the
platform has been set up, or the actions that each of the organizations that
comprise it have carried out individually, - which can be understood as favorable
to the independence procés-, could
lead the magistrates of the Supreme Court to dismiss their request to be
present in the judicial room of the trial as observers, considering that they
have a similar goal to that of the defendants.
Partisan actions
For example, the Center for the Defense of Human
Rights Irídia filed five lawsuits for injuries against officers of the National
Police and agents who intervened in the police operation against the illegal
referendum on October 1, 2017.
On the other hand, the Institute of Human Rights of
Catalonia presented a claim against Spain to the European Court of Human Rights
to prevent the Government of Mariano Rajoy from applying article 155 of the
Constitution in Catalonia, a complaint that was not admitted by the Strasbourg
court. Similar texts were presented to the European Court by former President
of the Generalitat Carles Puigdemont or former President of Parliament Carme
Forcadell; the latter will sit on the benches of the defendants for the crime
of rebellion.
The Prague Collective, made up of more than 40
jurists from the Catalan academic world, came forward stating that its
objective was to contribute with legal arguments to the debate on the 'right to
decide', convinced that it can be exercised and that it fits in the
Constitution. This group has announced lawsuits against those who would file
appeals before the Constitutional Court to prevent the investiture of
Puigdemont – escaped from the Spanish Justice - after the regional elections of
December 20, 2017.
In addition, this group also went to the European
institutions to report a violation of human rights during the celebration of
the illegal voting. In this case, they submitted a report to the Council of
Europe.
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