The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that the Catalan political prisoners, including Omnium’s president Jordi Cuixart, won’t be allowed to obtain the “third degree”, a less strict penitentiary regime that would allow them to leave prison a few hours a day. This is an unprecedented decision that goes against the penitentiary criteria and that of the penitentiary judges. Regular prisoners are usually granted a flexibilisation of their prison regime as the years of their conviction go by. 

Jordi Cuixart, president of Òmnium Cultural and a recognised human rights defender, has already served 3 years out of the 9-year sentence for “sedition”. He was, as a matter of fact, prosecuted for exercising human rights such as freedom of expression and the right to peacefully protest in a peaceful demonstration in favour of the Catalan referendum in 2017. By issuing this ruling, the Supreme Court is blatantly suppressing Jordi Cuixart’s human rights and those of the other Catalan political prisoners.

Amnesty International’s reaction to the ruling: Cuixart & Sánchez must be released

In the face of this, the human rights NGO Amnesty International has reacted immediately. In a statement released this morning, Amnistia España has reiterated that “Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sánchez have been unjustly in prison for 3 years. This ruling perpetuates this unjust situation; both must be released immediately and their sentence revoked”.

Once again, Òmnium calls on the Spanish authorities to listen to the International organisations and human rights NGOs and immediately release Jordi Cuixart. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Amnesty International, Front Line Defenders, World Organisation Against Torture or PEN International are among the bodies and associations that have urged Spain to comply with human rights in regard to Jordi Cuixart.