MADRID/BARCELONA, SPAIN ¨C Authorities in Madrid and Barcelona locked horns over whether two jailed Catalan pro-independence leaders were political prisoners, as their detention looked set to reignite secessionist protests.
The Madrid High Court upped the stakes on Monday in Spain¡¯s worst political crisis in decades, moving to thwart Catalonia¡¯s independence push by jailing the heads of its two main separatist groups pending an investigation for alleged sedition.
Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, given a Thursday deadline to renounce independence or face the threat of direct rule from Madrid, tweeted following the detentions: ¡°Sadly, we have political prisoners again.¡±
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