The Catalan Ombudsman has started an investigation to verify and clarify whether the recent detentions of three members of the Committees for the Defence of the Republic (CDR) violated their rights, as certain public reports suggest.
Specifically, the Ombudsman is looking into a possible violation of their right to defence. According to article 520 of the criminal procedure act, defence counsel for those affected has to be immediately informed of their detention and be able to visit them within three hours. Apparently, there were irregularities in this case on this issue and also as to the police corps which carried out the detentions: the Spanish National Police which seem to have acted without coordination with the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan police.
As part of the investigation, the Ombudsman has asked for information from the Catalan interior ministry, the Spanish government delegation to Catalonia and the Spanish Ombudsman. The latter two in order to pass on requests to the relevant bodies.
The three were detained this Tuesday in relations to the events surrounding a protest against a police march in Barcelona on 29th September. The three were released on Wednesday after 24 hours in custody.