Jailed Catalan official brought to hospital after 2 weeks of hunger strike

Jailed Catalan leader Jordi Turull has been transferred to an infirmary, after his health deteriorated 14 days into the hunger strike he and a colleague began, to demand a fair trial over their role in the independence referendum.

The former spokesman for the regional Catalan government of Carles Puigdemont was relocated to the infirmary inside Lledoners prison in Catalonia. “There are no worrying signs, this is part of a medical protocol,” his doctor Jaume Padros wrote on Twitter, noting that his patient remains in stable condition.

A day after being admitted to the hospital on Saturday, Turull reassured his supporters that, besides feeling weaker and “lazier,” nothing too “serious” is happening with his health so far. In his letter, the jailed pro-independence politician urged his supporters to continue to “mobilize” to protect the rights of political prisoners.

Together with former Catalan National Assembly leader Jordi Sanchez, Turull announced the hunger strike on the first day of December, stressing they will “never give up on our right to a fair trial.” The condition of Sanchez remains unknown, yet the duo previously emphasized they were not planning to starve themselves to death, but only to send a “message.”

Currently, 22 activists and politicians face treason charges for their role in Barcelona’s independence push last year. Spanish state prosecutors are demanding a 16-year sentence for Turull, for what they called a “rebellion” against Madrid.

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