Spain's public prosecution office was favourable to grant Jordi Cuixart a special permit to mark the birth of his son, expected for the 22nd September.
The president of Òmnium Cultural, currently in pretrial detention, presented the request to the Penitentiary Treatment Board to be allowed to leave prison "to accompany [his partner] and attend the birth", which would include "the six hours following" the birth and another six daily while they remain in hospital.
The Supreme Court, before making a decision, has requested a report from the prosecutor's office, which now, according to El Plural, has been favourable. However, the opinion of the prosecutor does not imply that the Supreme Court makes the same decision and grants the requested permission.
Always according to the aforementioned media, in the letter addressed to the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court, the prosecutor recalls that this petition is framed within the "legally provided cases" that the law includes, such as "the death or serious illness of the parents, spouse, children, siblings and other persons intimately linked with the inmates, spouse's childbirth."
In addition, it is pointed out that these permits can also be granted to inmates in preventive detention, as is the case of Jordi Cuixart, as long as it is authorised by the corresponding judge and specifying that if they are granted, “appropriate security measures” must be enabled. The report points to the fact that there are defendants in a “situation of rebellion” and highlights the existence of “sufficient infrastructure to be able to abscond from justice”.
Rull's precedent
Pending the final decision of the Supreme, it should be remembered that another political prisoner, Josep Rull, has been granted an extraordinary permit for August 20 to accompany his son in an operation. However, Rull can only visit the same day of the intervention, on August 20, and once the operation is over, he must return to the prison and the Minister will be accompanied by police at all times.