HUMAN rights group Amnesty International has again called for the immediate release of Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sanchez – two Catalan civic leaders who have been imprisoned for a year without trial.

In a statement released yesterday, ahead of tomorrow’s anniversary of the incarceration of the “two Jordis”, Amnesty’s deputy director in Europe, Fotis Filippou, said there was “no justification” for keeping them in prison.

Amnesty first called for their release when it learned of their detention last year.

Cuixart was president of Omnium Cultural and Sanchez headed the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) when they were arrested on charges alleging sedition for their role in the Catalan independence referendum, for which they now also face rebellion charges.

Filippou said their continued detention was a “disproportionate restriction” on their rights: “There is no justification for keeping Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart in pre-trial detention and we reiterate our call for their immediate release.

“Amnesty International believes their continued detention constitutes a disproportionate restriction on their rights to free speech and peaceful assembly.

“Instead of taking the opportunity to end the detention of Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart, the judicial authorities have perpetuated this injustice.”

According to the information available to Amnesty, it said the charges against the pair were “unfounded and must therefore be dropped”.

It added: “If it can be shown that they called on demonstrators to prevent police from carrying out a lawful operation, this could constitute a prosecutable public order offence. But accusing them of such serious crimes as ‘rebellion’ or ‘sedition’ and detaining them for a year is disproportionate and an excessive restriction of their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

Spain’s Supreme Court has rejected two petitions for their release, while the Constitutional Court (TC) has also refused several times to provisionally suspend Sánchez’s detention.

They are accused of being responsible for participating in the October referendum, despite the TC ruling it illegal.

The pair are also accused of calling on people to gather in front of government buildings in September to prevent police carrying out a search ordered by a Barcelona court.

Omnium said that throughout the “spontaneous” demonstration, which ultimately saw a gathering of 40,000 people, the protests were conducted in a non-violent manner.

It said Cuixart at no point tried to “disturb the peace” but acted as a peacemaker and asked the crowd to “calmly” return home at midnight.

Omnium added that its president had said he would do the same thing today.

“I preside over an entity with more than 56 years of history and 126,000 members,” said Cuixart.

“I followed the mandate of our associates and we have always done so in a peaceful manner.

“The judges and attorneys know that they lie and they prefer to maintain made-up narratives.”

Shortly after the Jordis were jailed, criminal proceedings were started against all members of the Catalan government, the president of the Catalan parliament and two pro-independence members of parliament.

They are also accused of sedition and rebellion. Seven of them are still imprisoned, the rest are in exile.