Catalan independence: Democracy on trial in Spain

There were reasonable grounds for hoping, 15 months ago, that the Catalan separatist leaders jailed and awaiting trial on charges of rebellion and sedition would be freed while a new Spanish government dependent on supply and confidence agreements with Basque and Catalan MPs got on with the essential business of trying to negotiate its way out of the crisis that threatens Spain’s democracy.

That hope was shattered when Madrid made it clear that the breakaway leaders arrested after the province’s independence referendum would remain behind bars, and then set about its unsuccessful extradition attempts to get three remaining “ring leaders” back from exile in Belgium, Germany and Scotland.