Defence lawyers representing Oriol Junqueras, imprisoned Catalan politician elected as an MEP in the recent European Parliamentary elections, have this Sunday afternoon lodged an appeal with Spain's Supreme Court asking it to "provisionally" suspend the ban it placed on Junqueras going to the Spanish Congress to collect his credentials as an MEP, and that it "urgently" consult the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Luxembourg, on this issue with a clear European dimension.
Spanish MEPs have been summoned to the Congress to carry out the swearing-in formalities on Monday at 12 noon. As well as Junqueras, those called to this meeting in Madrid include exiled Catalan leaders Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comín, also elected as MEPs on May 26th.
The text of the Junqueras appeal observes that the pro-independence leader was previously granted permission to go to the Spanish Congress when the Spanish parliaments were constituted, as he was also elected to Spanish public office in Spain's general election earlier this spring. Therefore, it argues, to place an impediment on the same process now would be a "violation of fundamental rights."
As well, the appeal recalls the report of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which called for the immediate release of the three pro-independence prisoners included in the case taken to the Group: former Catalan vice president Junqueras, and civil society activists Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart. The Spanish government's only response to the UN report was to accuse members of the Working Group of having a conflict of interest.