The pro-independence regional president of Catalonia is standing trial for allegedly disobeying Spain’s electoral board by not removing pro-secession symbols from public buildings during an election campaign.
Quim Torra could be declared unfit to hold public office for a period of time if found guilty in the trial that started Monday.
Prosecutors are charging Torra with failing to comply with orders from the country's electoral board to remove yellow ribbon symbols from the regional government's headquarters in Barcelona before the April 28 national election. The ribbons are how Catalan separatists show support for the movement's leaders, nine of whom have received prison sentences for their role in a failed secession bid in 2017.
Catalan regional president Quim Torra, centre, arrives at the Catalonia's high court in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, Nov.18, 2019. Catalan President Quim Torra attends to a trial court in Barcelona on charges of disobedience over a political poster hung from the Catalan Government building during the general election campaign in March. (AP PhotoEmilio Morenatti)
The board said the ribbons were "tools of political propaganda" that violated campaign laws.