MADRID — Three backers of Catalonia’s independence sought Thursday to get released from jail for their role in the region’s push to break from Spain, which triggered the country’s worst political crisis in decades.
Former Catalan interior minister, Joaquim Forn, Jordi Sanchez, a member of the pro-independence civic group called National Catalan Assembly, and Catalan activist Jordi Cuixart made their case for release from provisional jail to a Supreme Court judge.
A ruling from Judge Pablo LLarena is not expected Thursday.
Forn was one of several regional ministers jailed on provisional charges of rebellion after the Catalan parliament unilaterally — and unsuccessfully — declared the region’s independence Oct. 27. That prompted the Spanish government in Madrid to dissolve the regional parliament and call fresh elections that were held last month.
Sanchez and Forn were elected on separatist party tickets in that ballot, which took place amid political turmoil in the wealthy northeastern region of Spain.
Sanchez and Cuixart had previously been jailed on provisional sedition charges related to preparations for an Oct. 1 independence referendum in Catalonia which the Constitutional Court had said could not go ahead.