Not only have the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation and the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe raised serious human rights violations by Spain against prominent Catalans, but now the government of the United States of America, in its report «2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Spain», noted human rights violations by the Spanish state and expressed its concern about the human rights situation in Spain. In this context, the violation of elementary rights of the Catalan minority and the imprisonment of Catalan prisoners are also addressed. Unlike the European Union, which has so far fully tolerated the Spanish human rights violations and thus violated its own fundamental values, the U.S. report states the following facts in clear terms:
«Political Prisoners and Detainees
On March 8, the UN special rapporteur for minority issues expressed concerns about the restrictions and criminal charges against Catalan politicians and civil society activists involved in the October 2017 “referendum.” The special rapporteur called on the government to abide by its legal obligations to protect the human rights of minorities, including the Catalan minority, especially regarding the freedoms of expression; peaceful assembly, association; and participation in public life. The ombudsman rejected the categorization of the Catalan-speaking population as a minority. The special rapporteur agreed with conclusions of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that the extended detentions and subsequent convictions of Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, the two civil society activists convicted in the case, as well as the other Catalan political leaders in prison, were to intimidate them because of their political views.
On May 13, Amnesty International criticized the Supreme Court’s interpretation of sedition as “excessively broad” and alleged it resulted in the “criminalization of acts of protest.” On November 3, it reiterated its call for the government to release Sanchez and Cuixart.
In July the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention reiterated its previous recommendation to release seven of the nine Catalan proindependence prisoners convicted of sedition by the Supreme Court for their role in the October 2017 “referendum” on Catalan independence. Representatives of several Catalan national political parties called those convicted “political prisoners,” but neither the government nor any international human rights NGO supported this claim.» (from «Section 1. Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom from: [...]»).
«In a March 8 report, the UN special rapporteur for minority issues expressed concern that the October 2019 sentencing of 12 Catalan politicians and civil society activists interfered with the freedom of expression and nonviolent political dissent of the Catalan minority and could serve as a signal to prevent the political dissent of other minority groups. The Spanish Ombudsman rejected the categorization of the Catalan-speaking population as a minority.» (from «Section 3. Freedom to Participate in the Political Process»).
The United Nations, the Council of Europe, the U.S.A. and the Russian Federation have raised the issue of the events in Spain, and thus in a member state of the European Union, in a high-profile manner. However, the European Union and most of its member states remain silent and fully support the Spanish policy towards Catalonia. But resistance is also beginning to emerge in individual European countries. Only recently, the French Greens spoke out in favour of the Catalan people's right to self-determination, which also includes the right to found their own state.
And in the Irish parliament, as in Belgium, a member of parliament has spoken out:
https://twitter.com/SanderLoones/status/1370109998685163520?s=20
And Europe remains silent and only watches!