ICIP statement on the repression against the legitimate government of Catalonia

Barcelona, 3rd November 2017.- ICIP (International Catalan Institute for Peace) has been perplexed by the repressive measures, taken against the legitimate, democratically elected government of the Generalitat of Catalonia, which constitute a serious attempt against the most basic rights and liberties.
The order of imprisonment of the vicepresident and eight other consellers of the Govern, issued last Thursday by the Audiencia Nacional, as well as the application of article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, implying the suspension of the Catalan autonomy, demonstrates a clear intention to punish the Catalan people in its aspirations to self-determination. The Spanish government uses the principle of territorial integrity to justify its repression against political dissidence, a strategy which shows a complete lack of intention to resolve the conflict.
The temporary orders of imprisonment, in addition to the incarceration of the presidents of Òmnium Cultural and Assemblea Nacional Catalana, Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sánchez, boost political and social tensions as well as the political conflict between Catalonia and Spain. A conflict in which, from the side of ICIP, several calls have been launched in favour of a political solution through dialogue.
Therefore, the Spanish government needs to stop its repressive measures and address the aspiration it self-determination, claimed by a part of Catalonia’s citizens, using political means.
Once more, we call upon the citizens of Catalonia to keep defending their ideas by means of the values of non-violence and pacific resistance, as they have been doing lately in the massive pacific and civic rallies.