The Greek former finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, has criticized Spain for having "political prisoners," referring to the nine Catalan pro-independence leaders in in precautionary detention, some for over a year.

In an interview with the Catalan News Agency, he said the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, is "clearly not doing enough" if the situation is going ahead. Varoufakis, who will run in the European election for 'Demokratie Europe' in Germany, feels "incensed and appaled" due to the existence of "political prisoners in Europe, he added.

"European issue"

The Greek activist also criticized the European Union for its role in the crisis, as he believes this is a "humanitarian and European politics" issue.