Supreme Court jails eight over 2011 parliament siege

SPAIN’S Supreme Court has handed out three-year jail sentences to eight people who took part in the 2011 Catalan Parliament siege.

The ruling overturned last year’s High Court sentence, which absolved all but one of the demonstrators.

The demonstration in Barcelona that prevented Catalan lawmakers from being able to enter the regional parliament took place on June 15, and consisted of some 600 people. The aim of the protestors, who occupied the building’s entrance hall, was to prevent deputies from entering to pass that year’s regional budget.

The resulting police charges to clear and unblock the surrounding area resulted in injuries to 45 people and six arrests for assault, resisting arrest, and disobeying law-enforcement officers.

The Supreme Court stated that it believed that the lower court made a mistake in how it resolved the conflict between the protestors’ rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, and the right of citizens to participate via their legitimate representatives in parliament.