Catalan police chief appears in court on charges of sedition

The head of Catalonia's police force and two separatist leaders appear in court in Madrid on charges of inciting rebellion.

Mr. Josep Lluis Trapero (second from right) arrives at court in Madrid on October 6. Photo: CNN.

Chief of Police of the autonomous region of CataloniaJosep Lluis TraperoOctober 6th appeared atcourt in the capital Madrid torespond to allegations of misconductsedition, in the context ofSpain has yet to find a solution to the region's demand for independence,according toCNN.

Spanish authorities say the police force17,000 people namedMossos d'Esquadraunder his commandTrapero did not make a full effort toprevent the referendum taking place on October 1 in Catalonia.

Mr. Trapero did not answer questions from reporters as he left court, and Spanish authorities have not yet taken any action against him, but cThe investigation into sedition is ongoing.

Jordi Cuixart, head of the Catalan separatist group Omnium Cultural, also appeared in court with Mr Trapero. Cuixart said he had exercised his right not to answer the judges in court and condemned the Spanish government's handling of the case. "I do not recognize the court's authority in this matter," he said. "We believe that sooner or later the Spanish state will have to accept dialogue."

Jordi Sanchez, president of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), who also faces trial, denies the charges. "We believe we have not committed any crime," he said.

Political deadlock continues in Spain after90% of votersCatalonia supports secession inreferendumCatalan police reportedly prevented members of Spain's paramilitary police force from cracking down on people coming to vote.

Spain's Constitutional Court has banned the Catalan parliament from holding a session on October 9 in a bid to stop Catalan leader Carles Puigdemontunilateral declaration of independence. The Catalan Parliament announced that it will hold a new session to discuss the current political situation on October 11.

Location of Catalonia region, Spain. Graphics: BBC.

Catalonia is a region of 7.5 million people.in northeastern Spain. This is an industrial and tourist center, contributing one-fifth of the gross domestic product (GDP) for all of Spain.

According to VNE