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Spain Hands Catalans Lngthy Prison Terms Over Secession Bid

Associated Press

   MADRID - Spain's Supreme Court on Monday sentenced 12 prominent former
   Catalan politicians and activists to lengthy prison terms for their
   roles in a 2017 bid to take the wealthy region out of Spain and create
   a new European country.

   The landmark ruling, after a four-month trial, inflamed independence
   supporters in the northeastern region bordering France where Catalan
   identity is a passionate issue.

   Nine of the Catalans on trial in association with their efforts to
   achieve independence received between nine and 13 years in prison for
   sedition. Four of them were additionally convicted for misuse of public
   funds, and three more were fined for disobedience. The Spanish
   Constitution says the country can't be divided.

   Spain's caretaker prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said he hoped the
   sentence would mark a watershed in the long standoff between national
   authorities in Madrid and separatists in the Catalan capital Barcelona.
   Sánchez said the court's verdict proved the 2017 secession attempt had
   become "a shipwreck."

   He urged people to "set aside extremist positions" and "embark on a new
   phase" for Catalonia.
   

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