Support and applause from across the independence movement. That was what greeted Marta Molina, a director of the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) and one of those investigated for terrorism in the Democratic Tsunami case, this Tuesday when she entered the Ciemen auditorium in Barcelona before key representatives of political parties ERC, Together (Junts), the CUP, civil groups Òmnium Cultural and Amnesty and Freedom, as well as other pro-independence entities, all there for the presentation of the Free Molina support group. Molina, a former municipal councillor of Sant Joan Despí, was one of the people arrested in the Volhov case, in October 2020, conducted by Barcelona judge Joaquín Aguirre, who was called on by his judicial colleague from the National Audience, Manuel García-Castellón, to elevate her case to that of those investigated for the Tsunami Democràtic protest platform. García-Castellón summoned the 10 people investigated in the Tsunami case to the National Audience court to testify this Wednesday, asking them to do so by video conference from a court in Barcelona; most, however, have left Spanish territory due to the case, and Marta Molina, defended by Marina Roig, will be the only one to appear in court. "I am aware that I could go to prison, seven days before the amnesty law is passed", said Molina, who affirmed that "she has no confidence in justice, but she does have confidence in politics".
In the front row of the event were Laura Borràs, president of Junts; Laia Estrada, from the CUP; Oriol Junqueras, leader of ERC who has announced that he is leaving the position temporarily, along with other senior ERC figures Marta Vilalta, Juli Fernández, and MEP Diana Riba; and Xavier Antich, president of Òmnium Cultural. At the end of the event, the former Catalan minister and one of the nine political prisoners, Quim Forn, of Junts, along with other politicians such as Albert Batet, also of Junts, approached to embrace Molina, as did also other ERC colleagues such as the former speaker of Parliament, Carme Forcadell - also one of those imprisoned for sedition - and former minister Alba Vergés. The event to support Molina turned into an act of pro-independence unity.
New political prisoners?
"I am here because of a political decision. I appreciate the work of my colleagues in exile, but it is also necessary for someone to look them in the eye and tell them that Catalan independence is not terrorism," said Marta Molina, who asked the room: "Will the state be able to bear having new political prisoners?" She did not hide the fact that she was afraid and had had "sleepless nights", but also reiterated that there is nothing of terrorism in the story. "In the searches of my home they confiscated a ballot box", she said, defending the pro-independence cause.
More than 300 have signed manifesto
The actress Rosa Renom read out the manifesto of support Tots som Marta Molina ("We are all Marta Molina"), which has been signed by more than 300 people so far. A friend of Molina's, Ricard, presented the event and gave a profile of her, affirming: "We are all Tsunami". And he invited everyone to accompany her in her testimony this Wednesday morning at the Ciutat de Justicia court complex in Barcelona.
Demand for prison
On Wednesday, all of the different prosecutions in the case - that is, on the one hand, the Spanish public prosecution service, and on the other, the private accusations brought by two Spanish police officers and three Spanish nationalist organizations (the far right party Vox, the civil group Dignidad y Justicia, and the anti-independence body Societat Civil Catalana) - can call on the investigating judge to send Marta Molina to prison, due to an alleged flight risk, since the other people under investigation in the case are not going to appear. The public prosecutors will probably not make such a call because they maintain that the crime of terrorism does not square with events in the Tsunami case, against the opinion of National Audience and Supreme Court judges, with this latter court having agreed to carry out an investigation for terrorism of exiled Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and ERC deputy Ruben Wagensberg.
Three suspended interrogations
For now, the National Audience judge has agreed to suspend the questioning of Josep Lluís Alay, due to his state of health, as requested by his lawyer Gonzalo Boye; and nor will he call the businessperson Oriol Soler, because his lawyer, Benet Salellas, has another court appointment, and the same applies to the ERC general secretary, Marta Rovira: her lawyer, Iñigo Iruín, also has a prior court appearance to attend.
The judge has already made it clear that he will not allow any video conference from Switzerland, where Rovira, Jesús Rodríguez, Oleguer Serra and Josep Campmajó, in addition to Wagensberg, are now residing, nor from Colombia, where former Catalan government minister and ERC politician Xavier Vendrell lives.