Which language would you like to use this site in? In several cases, the actions of National Police and Civil Guard officers involved excessive and unnecessary use of force, and the dangerous use of riot control equipment, injuring hundreds of peaceful protesters An Amnesty International delegation of five people has been monitoring the situation in Catalonia for several days, including the afternoon of Saturday 30 September and Sunday 1 October, and visited numerous polling stations throughout the weekend, gathering testimonies and statements. “In several cases, the actions of National Police and Civil Guard officers involved excessive and unnecessary use of force, and the dangerous use of riot control equipment, injuring hundreds of peaceful protesters,”,said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Director for Europe and Central Asia. Under international law, law enforcement officials must only use force when strictly necessary to perform the duties entrusted to them. Actions to enforce the TSJC ruling must comply with international standards regarding the use of force. Amnesty International considers that, in many cases, National Police and Civil Guard officers used disproportionate force. Amnesty International recalls that rubber balls can cause serious injuries, especially if they impact the head, face or upper body.  The general imprecision and lack of reliability of most of launchers and projectiles increases the likelihood of them causing serious harm. Rubber balls used by the National Police and the Civil Guard in Spain are intrinsically imprecise and cannot be used safely or in line with international standards on human rights and thus they must be prohibited. This conduct is contrary to international standards which stipulate that truncheons and other devices having a similar impact should not be used against people who are not behaving in a threatening or aggressive manner. Where their use is absolutely necessary, officers should avoid causing serious injuries; they should refrain from hitting people with truncheons on the head, neck, throat, spine, lower back, solar plexus, knees, ankles or vital parts of the body. These acts should be investigated and those responsible brought to justice. These kinds of incidents should never happen again “The National Police and Civil Guard were clearly obstructed in performing their duties at numerous polling stations, however, there is a great deal of information available showing that police officers used excessive and disproportionate force. Those acts should be investigated and those responsible brought to justice. These kinds of incidents should never happen again,” said Esteban Beltrán, Director of Amnesty International in Spain. Together we can fight for human rights everywhere. Your donation can transform the lives of millions. If you are talented and passionate about human rights then Amnesty International wants to hear from you. The central Catalonia town of Súria, in the Bages county, has declared two official days of mourning following the deadly mining accident on Thursday morning that killed three geologists in the Cabanasses potash mine. The three ICL Iberia workers, all of whom were in their late twenties to early thirties, were trapped in a landslide at around 650 meters below ground level. Officials had initially stated that the accident had occurred at a depth of 900 meters. No problems were detected at the Súria mine in the last inspection, which took place only three weeks ago.  One of the victims was from the nearby town of Sant Joan de Vilatorrada, another was from Vinaròs, just across the Catalan border with the Valencia region, and the third was Colombian.  Two of them were also master's students at the UPC university in Manresa, while the third was an intern at ICL Iberia. Their bodies were rescued Thursday evening after firefighter crews were able to successfully secure the surroundings.  Although the authorities said they "feared the worse" right after the accident, their deaths were not officially pronounced until their bodies were recovered hours later.  "Unfortunately, I must confirm the death of three young people while they were working in the mine," Catalan president Pere Aragonès said from Súria. "The first thing we want to do is express our condolences to their families." A minute of silence was held on Friday at midday at the mining monument beside the town's Salipota bridge, while all council activities have been canceled until Sunday. Dozens of people gathered in memory of the three workers who lost their lives. Flowers were laid at the monument and the song 'El cant dels ocells' ('The song of the birds') was played. The president of the ICL works committee, David Sibila, said that it is "not appropriate" to get into the causes of the accident today because "it is a day of mourning." The general secretary of trade union UGT, Josep Maria Álvarez, demanded that an investigation get "to the bottom" of why the accident occurred, and that "every measure be taken so that it does not happen again." Álvarez regretted that it was a "tragic" accident but pointed out that "behind work accidents, there is always some deficiency that could have been avoided." In a statement, the ICL-Súria workers committee expressed its "deepest condolences" to the victims' families and their colleagues. "As is usual in these cases, all activities at our facilities have been suspended as a sign of mourning," the workers said. The mayor of Súria, Albert Coberó, said that the accident has "shaken" the town that has a "mining essence." Presidency minister Laura Vilagrà and the government delegate for central Catalonia, Montserrat Barniol, were also present for the ceremony. In Bages county, other fatal accidents were seen in mines in 2013, when 3 workers died, and in 2015, when there was one fatality at the Vilafruns mine in Balsareny. The last accident was in 2020 when two workers died also in the Balsareny mine. Get the day's biggest stories right to your phone MADRID (AP) — Separatist politicians and activists from Catalonia on Tuesday announced a legal offensive in half a dozen countries against the Spanish state and the Israeli owners of a controversial spyware allegedly used to snoop on them The head of the Catalan and Spanish-speaking northeastern region also announced that relations with central authorities in Spain would remain strained until Madrid conducts a full investigation and punishes those found responsible for the alleged surveillance A spokeswoman for the Spanish government said there was no illegal spying happening in the country a team of cybersecurity experts affiliated with the University of Toronto had revealed a day before what is believed to be the largest to date forensically documented cluster of hacking attempts with Pegasus a program that silently infiltrates phones to harvest their data and potentially spy on their owners At least 65 high-profile figures of the Catalan pro-independence camp — including elected officials lawyers and their relatives — were targeted with NSO Group’s Pegasus or other programs created by Candiru Candiru’s spyware potentially allows third parties to impersonate the phone’s owner to send out messages or emails and Candiru have been criticized by global rights groups for breaching users’ privacy and face lawsuits from some of the world’s major technology firms The companies claim that their software is only sold to government agencies to target criminals and terrorists On the alleged spying on Catalan separatists Citizen Lab said that its research had found evidence of “a strong nexus with one or more entities within the Spanish government.” there is no eavesdropping if it’s not under the cover of the law,” government spokeswoman Isabel Rodríguez said Tuesday during a weekly briefing Asked whether the country’s intelligence services are protected by law and are classified material.” Some of the politicians and activists allegedly targeted appeared at the same time for a press conference at the European Parliament in Brussels where they vowed to file lawsuits seeking transparency in Spain where some of the alleged hacking took place Luxembourg is also where the European subsidiary of NSO Group is headquartered a European Union lawmaker and former Catalan regional chief who fled Spain in 2017 to avoid prosecution after a banned independence referendum went ahead under his watch “The Spanish state has organized a criminal plot to attack a legitimate democratic political movement,” said Puigdemont who also urged leaders of the EU’s executive branch to investigate the use of the controversial spyware and Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles who oversees the country’s intelligence apparatus will appear before national lawmakers to answer questions on the issue the current head of Catalonia’s regional administration said that political relations with central authorities couldn’t go on as normal until the left-to-center coalition led by Pedro Sánchez fully investigates the hacking with external supervision Aragonès’ own phone was among those allegedly targeted with Pegasus during his previous role as the region’s vice president Almost all of the spying incidents identified by Citizen Lab occurred between 2017 and 2020 when efforts to carve out an independent state in northeastern Spain led to the country’s deepest political crisis in decades The effort to relieve congestion with a tunnel under Highway 401 is now on PM Mark Carney's radar Premier Ford listed the project as one of Ontario's top priorities in need of federal support Ontario Premier Doug Ford calls on Prime Minister Mark Carney to prioritize a list of projects including the proposed Highway 401 tunnel Monday is calling for rain and thunderstorms Stella Acquisto has the long-range forecast Could we see another indefinite pause on postal service in the country Negotiations are underway again as Canada Post and the workers’ union try to cut a deal to avoid a lockout or strike later this month listen to NewsRadio Toronto live anytime and get up-to-the-minute breaking-news alerts weather and video from CityNews Toronto anywhere you are – across all Android and iOS devices LIKE many other republicans I have spent several Christmases in prison I was reminded of this a few days before Christmas when I had the opportunity to hold a video conference with two of the imprisoned leaders of 'Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya' (ERC) – the main pro-independence party in Catalan Oriol Junqueras is President of the ERC and Raul Romeva is the former Foreign Minister of the Catalan government Both are currently serving prison sentences of 13 years and 12 years respectively in Lledoners prison  Declan Kearney MLA joined me in the conversation and also in attendance was Marta Rovira the ERC's Secretary for International Affairs SOLIDARITY: Independence struggles linked over centuries - Ireland and Catalonia Declan and I expressed Sinn Féin's ongoing solidarity with all of the political prisoners and the right of the Catalan people to independence We also expressed our support for the Amnesty Bill currently being proposed by Catalan Independent representatives The connections between the people of Ireland and of Catalonia go back a long way travelled to Catalonia as part of the republican outreach seeking support for the Irish cause in Europe Writing after the death on hunger strike of Terence MacSwiney the Lord Mayor of Cork Last year the doll was refurbished as part of an exhibition on MacSwiney by Cork public museum The Spanish government needs to return to the negotiating table has an obligation to ensure that Catalonia can pursue the course of self-determination without fear of suppression In the meantime find below the names and addresses of imprisoned Catalan leaders and political prisoners Take a few minutes and send them a solidarity card – a letter – a book Show them they are not alone and not forgotten Dolors Bassa CollCentre penitenciari Puig de les BassesMòdul de donesRaval disseminat Jordi Cuixart i NavarroCentre Penitenciari de LledonersMòdul 2Carretera C-55 km 3708250 St Joan de Vilatorrada(Barcelona) Carme Forcadell LluísCarme Forcadell i LluísCentre Penitenciari Wad RasDoctor Trueta 7608005 Barcelona Joaquim Forn i ChiarelloCentre Penitenciari de LledonersMòdul 2Carretera C-55 km 3708250 St Joan de Vilatorrada(Barcelona) Oriol Junqueras i ViesCentre Penitenciari de LledonersMòdul 2Carretera C-55 km 3708250 St Joan de Vilatorrada(Barcelona) Raül Romeva RuedaCentre Penitenciari de LledonersMòdul 2Carretera C-55 km 3708250 St Joan de Vilatorrada(Barcelona) Josep Rull i AndreuCentre Penitenciari de LledonersMòdul 2Carretera C-55 km 3708250 St Joan de Vilatorrada(Barcelona) Jordi Sànchez i PicanyolCentre Penitenciari de LledonersMòdul 2Carretera C-55 km 3708250 St Joan de Vilatorrada(Barcelona) Jordi Turull NegreCentre Penitenciari de LledonersMòdul 2Carretera C-55 km 3708250 St Joan de Vilatorrada(Barcelona)   AS 2020 came to a close most of the public and media focus was understandably on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations and the increase in the number of people across the island of Ireland testing positive for the Coronavirus However one other event also deserves attention As of January 1 the Irish government holds one of 15 seats on the UN Security Council In June of last year a secret ballot among the almost 200 member states saw the Norwegian and Irish governments win two non-permanent seats on the Council They will hold these influential seats for the next two years "As my country Ireland's flag joins the flags of other Security Council Members for just the 4th time in my country's history, I have a deep and profound sense of humility and responsibility" - Ambassador Byrne Nason 🇮🇪 #IrelandUNSC pic.twitter.com/ivsfKAFl8p The Irish government campaigned for the seats on the basis that it will defend and promote human rights and peace Its success in winning the Security Council seat provides a unique opportunity to make a positive impact in world affairs international relations and in peoples’ lives There is a significant number of armed conflicts and international disputes which urgently need a positive engagement by the UN The plight of the people of Palestine is crying out for justice and water scarcity is also on the increase Almost one billion people do not have access to clean water and climate change is set to make this dire situation worse The government also has a responsibility to use this unique opportunity to defend the Good Friday Agreement – which is an international Treaty lodged with the UN – to defend the peace process and to use this crucial international forum to insist that the British government honour its GFA commitments on human rights and the role of civic society which it has so far refused to implement in a forum which places great emphasis on self-determination and self-government (the UN has grown from to 51 states in 1945 to 193 today) there is an onus on the Irish government to use this forum to articulate the desire for a United Ireland As the debate for the referendum on Unity continues to grow the government now has within its grasp at the United Nations an unparalleled opportunity to further that objective AN hour before midnight on New Year’s Eve the Brexit deal was finally done – sort of Four and a half years after the Brexit referendum the little Englanders and the DUP party who campaigned for Brexit got their way including the people of the north and of Scotland who voted to remain it didn’t quite work out the way the DUP wanted Instead of a ‘United Kingdom’ waving goodbye to Europe they now have a deeply disunited kingdom with Scotland battering at the gates of independence; Welsh nationalism on the rise; and the demand for a referendum on Irish unity growing across Ireland In addition the north remains in the EU’s single market for goods and will apply EU customs rules at its ports under the watchful eye of EU officials There are now export checks and regulatory differences between the north and Britain Full responsibility for this rests squarely with the DUP It will take a while for the dust to settle on the mess that has been created by Brexit but a mess it is Ireland’s interests north or south were never a consideration in the English Ireland only became an issue in the Brexit negotiations when Sinn Fein ensured that the issue of the Good Friday Agreement would be a central objective of the EU negotiators there is a way out of the chaos that will unfold in 2021 It is rooted in the Good Friday Agreement – the people of the north have the right to choose which union we want to be a part of: a new union between all the people of the island of Ireland or the old failed unacceptable and imposed union with England It is now a matter of when that referendum will be held So those of us who want self government need to increase our efforts and intensify the sensible call for the Irish government to initiate ways to plan how we will agree our future  Stay safe...As the pandemic surges out of control the under investment in health services north and south on this island is obvious for everyone to see The good news of the vaccine must be tempered with a resolve by all of us to follow the health advice and to minimise contact with others until the vaccine is administered When we eventually put this horrible pandemic behind us we must also be resolved to ensure that a fully resourced and accessible public health service becomes a reality Sign up to the daily Belfastmedia briefing to stay up to date with everything Belfast Donate to BelfastMedia.com today to ensure that this website remains free now Developed and maintained by Soundlining © Copyright 2025 Belfast Media All rights reserved Developed and maintained by Soundlining © Copyright 2025 Belfast Media All rights reserved Spain (Reuters) – Nine Catalan separatist leaders walked free from prison on Wednesday and vowed to win independence from Spain in a foretaste of the challenges facing Madrid as it prepares for talks on the region’s future A day after the central government granted them pardons as it seeks to curtail the separatist push through dialogue the politicians and activists – some carrying a banner demanding “freedom for Catalonia” – said their political views were stronger than when they were first imprisoned in 2017 Everything continues,” Oriol Junqueras Catalonia’s former deputy leader and the most prominent of the group we will continue working to make the dream of a Catalan republic a reality,” said Junqueras The nine pardoned leaders had been sentenced in 2019 to between nine and 13 years for sedition and misuse of public funds after an unauthorised referendum on a breakaway that led to a short-lived declaration of independence by the northeastern region and Spain’s worst political crisis in decades The seven who had been held at Lledoners were greeted by the pro-independence head of the Catalan regional government None thanked the central government for their release with some saying they would not be silenced and that there was nothing to apologise for who has played down the Catalan leaders’ defiance saying the government never intended to change their views with the pardons will meet Aragones on June 29 in Madrid to kick-start negotiations on solving the political conflict The central government pardoned the nine in a goodwill gesture ahead of the talks though the pardons are conditional and a ban on the leaders holding public office remains in place Madrid has said it is convinced there will not be a new unilateral independence push and ruled out allowing a legal referendum on the matter “It is not just a question that it is unconstitutional it is that we can’t keep fracturing the Catalan society,” Sanchez told parliament answering calls from separatist legislators for another vote authorized by Madrid conservative opposition parties have renewed their calls for Sanchez to resign over the pardons arguing that the move undermines Spain’s unity Opinion polls show that close to half of Catalonia’s population favours splitting from Spain and that a majority of Spaniards oppose the pardons Catalan separatists are also seeking a broad amnesty for all those with outstanding legal cases related to the 2017 referendum independence bid “Amnesty is what we want and we will achieve it,” said former Catalan parliament speaker Carme Forcadell as she walked out of another jail in Barcelona calling her release a “small victory” triggered by domestic and international pressure The government has ruled out a blanket amnesty which would benefit around 3,000 people including politicians who fled Spain such as former Catalan regional government leader Carles Puigdemont what there will be is dialogue and politics,” said Regional Policy Minister Miquel Iceta Powered by PageSuite Spain on Tuesday pardoned nine jailed Catalan separatists behind a failed 2017 independence bid in a bid to break the deadlock over the political crisis in this wealthy northeastern region.  "The pardons for those convicted were approved" during the morning cabinet meeting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's office tweeted confirming the decision to grant clemency to nine separatist leaders who were serving long prison sentences.  Although the date of their release remains unclear the judicial authorities will work rapidly to complete administrative steps The separatists were convicted over a banned referendum in October 2017 that was marred by police violence and followed by a short-lived declaration of independence sparking Spain's worst political crisis in decades Several fled abroad but 12 others were tried and convicted with three-quarters of them handed prison terms of nine to 13 years.  Sanchez has said his government hopes the pardons will pave the way towards "reconciliation" but the decision to extend clemency has been attacked by Spain's right-wing opposition as well as by the separatists.  Many in the pro-independence camp have dismissed the pardons as a political stunt demanding a full amnesty that would allow those who fled abroad to return home.  Analysts have warned it is a risky political gamble which may help calm tensions but won't solve the years-long crisis over the separatist crisis When the separatists were sentenced in October 2019 by Spain's Supreme Court the ruling triggered an outcry across Catalonia with thousands hitting the streets in protests that sometimes turned violent.  "I am convinced that releasing from jail these nine people will be a resounding message of a desire for harmony and coexistence," Sanchez said on Monday.  Although 53 percent of Spaniards oppose the pardons more than two-thirds -- 68 percent -- of Catalans are in favour The Supreme Court has also opposed the pardons as have Spain's right-wing opposition parties who accuse Sanchez of playing politics as his minority government relies in part on Catalan separatists for support in the national parliament It remains to be seen though if the pardons will drive forward dialogue between Madrid and the Catalan regional government a recently elected moderate separatist from the leftist ERC party.  Sanchez will meet for the first time with Aragones who is far more open to negotiating than his hardline predecessor the independence movement is unlikely to give up on its desire for an amnesty and to hold a referendum on self-determination -- this time with Madrid's approval Both options have been firmly ruled out by Sanchez's government.  please register for free or log in to your account.