Thread by @assemblea_int

⬛️⬜️ When the #US Department of State publishes a report dealing w/ #Spanish abuses of the #Catalan national minority, political prisoners & the increase in hate speech vs Catalans, the Spanish “internal affair” is already too big to try and hide it.(THREAD)

#StandUpForCatalonia

⬛️⬜️US @StateDept annual report: “On March 8, the @UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues @fernanddev expressed concern about the restrictions and criminal charges against Catalan politicians and civil society activists involved in the "referendum" of October 2017"

⬛️⬜️"The SR agreed w/ conclusions of the @UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that the extended detentions & subsequent convictions of @jordialapreso & @JordiCuixart, as well as the Catalan political leaders in prison, were to intimidate them because of their political views"

@UN @jordialapreso @jordicuixart ⬛️⬜️"On May 13, @Amnesty International criticized #Spain's Supreme Court’s interpretation of sedition as “excessively broad” and alleged it resulted in the “criminalization of acts of protest.” On Nov 3, it reiterated its call for the government to release
Sanchez and Cuixart."

⬛️⬜️ "In July, the @UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention reiterated its previous recommendation to release seven of the nine #Catalan pro-independence prisoners convicted of sedition by the Supreme Court for their role in the October 2017 “referendum” on Catalan independence."

⬛️⬜️ "@Amnesty called on the #Spanish govt to publish information about any contracts it had w/ digital surveillance companies based on a complaint filed by Catalan Parliament Speaker @rogertorrent & parliamentarian @ernestmaragall that their cell phones were surveilled in 2019"

⬛️⬜️ "In a March 8 report, the @UN Special Rapporteur for Minority Issues expressed concern that the October 2019 sentencing of 12 Catalan politicians and civil society activists interfered with the freedom of expression and nonviolent political dissent of the #Catalan minority"

⬛️⬜️ Moreover, he "expressed concern about the increase in Catalonia of hate speech against Catalans as a minority group in social and other media as a result of the protests following the October 2019 sentencing of 12 Catalan politicians and civil society activists"

⬛️⬜️ "The Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues @fernanddev also reported that politicians and others outside the #Catalonia had begun to paint Catalans as traitors who had to be dealt with severely, at times using violent language"