BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Two leaders of Catalonia's separatist movement who have spent the last year in prison started a hunger strike on Saturday to protest what they claim is the unfair treatment by Spanish courts. Jordi Sanchez, the former head of the influential grassroots ANC independence movement, and Jordi Turull, a former minister in the Catalan regional government, are taking this step to “raise awareness” of their unfair treatment by Spain’s justice system, lawyer Jordi Pina told a news conference in Barcelona. Spain's government responded by saying that they and other separatist leaders will be treated just like any other citizens brought before the law. The government led by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a statement that "like all citizens who are subject to and protected by the rule of law, the separatist leaders will receive a fair trial." Sanchez and Turull are two of nine separatist leaders who are in pre-trial custody for their role in an illegal secession attempt by Catalonia's leaders last year. Spain's state prosecutors will pursue charges of rebellion against both, asking for sentences of 17 years for Sanchez and 16 years for Turull. Sanchez and Turull are being held in a prison near Barcelona, the largest city in the Catalonia region. They have been kept behind bars with authorities saying they pose a risk of continuing to push for secession and fleeing Spain like other separatist leaders, including former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont. The sensitive trial is expected to start in early 2019 and will focus on the attempt by Catalan leaders to break away from Spain in October 2017 by staging a referendum despite a court ban and subsequently proclaiming independence. Catalonia's current separatist leaders insist they won't desist in their effort to break away from the rest of Spain. Election results and polls show that the 7.5 million resident of the wealthy Catalonia region are roughly equally divided by the secession issue.
Jordi Turull and Jordi Sànchez, jailed Catalan separatist leaders accused of rebellion, start a hunger strike.