Spanish board imposes €2500 fine against Catalan leader

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA

The Central Electoral Board (JEC) has imposed a fine of €2,500 ($2,785) on Monday to the Catalan government president for calling Article 155 of Spain's constitution "nefarious", and labeling the leader of the 2017's illegal referendum as president.

Article 155 allows Madrid to intervene in the internal affairs of the country’s autonomous regions. Then-Spanish Premier Mariano Rajoy implemented 155 to dissolve the Catalan parliament after the Catalan government held an illegal referendum on independence in October, 2017.

While ousted Catalan leader Charles Puigdemont and six other politicians fled the country, 12 faced trials in Madrid.

The JEC argued the expressions of Quim Torra in a statement, saying he "violated the Organic Law on General Elections" and his words "favored the version of the separatist process advocated by some political parties contesting the elections."

The resolution of the JEC came after a complaint of central-right Citizens (Cs) Party.

Earlier, the JEC imposed a €3,000 ($3,342) fine to Torra for criticizing the "repression of the Kingdom of Spain" and calling "political prisoners" for the politicians in jail or exile after the illegal referendum during his Sant Jordi rhetoric.

"I will not pay them. Freedom of expression is at stake now in the Spanish State," Torra told reporters "Whenever freedom of expression is punished, we will exercise it again and be consistent."