Over 40 MEPs have co-signed a letter sent today to newly elected President of the European Commission Ms Von der Leyen asking for the Commission to “act as a mediator to find a political solution in Catalonia, ensure that human and fundamental rights are protected in Spain, and take note of the international organizations that have called for the release of the Catalan political prisoners”.

After explaining the unfair verdict that convicted the pro-independence Catalan leaders to up to 13 years of imprisonment for having participated in the organization of a referendum of self-determination in Catalonia, the MEPs -representatives from 14 different member states and 5 parliamentary groups- quote different International Human Rights organizations that monitored the trial and denounced procedural shortcomings and lack of guarantees for the defendants.

“This European internal affair should count on a solution led by Europe. Europe’s leaders should not remain silent on this matter when they do not remain silent on matters concerning other Member States. If Europe cannot defend human rights inside Europe it will lose its entire raison d’être and will have to cease lecturing other countries”, said the MEPs in the letter sent on Wednesday.

The co-signatories, including the members of the EU – Catalonia Dialogue Platform, are: MEP Diana Riba (Greens/EFA) on behalf of MEP elected Carles Puigdemont, Oriol Junqueras and Antoni Comín, MEP François Alfonsi (Greens/EFA), MEP Christian Allard (Greens/EFA), MEP Martina Anderson (GUE/NGL), MEP Margrete Auken (Greens/EFA), MEP Pernando Barrena (GUE/NGL), MEP Izaskun Bilbao (Renew), MEP Benoît Biteau (Greens/EFA), MEP Geert Bourgeois (ECR), MEP Milan Brglz (S&D), MEP Damien Carême (Greens/EFA), MEP Matt Carthy (GUE/NGL), MEP Anna Cavazzini (Greens/EFA), MEP David Cormand (Greens/EFA), MEP Clare Daly (GUE/NGL), MEP Petra De Sutter (Greens/EFA), MEP Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield (Greens/EFA), MEP Karima Delli (Greens/EFA), MEP Jill Evans (Greens/EFA), MEP Tanja Fajon (S&D), MEP Romeo Franz (Greens/EFA), MEP Marketa Gregorova (Greens/EFA), MEP Francisco Guerreiro (Greens/EFA), MEP José Gusmao (GUE/NGL), MEP Heidi Hautala (Greens/EFA), MEP Yannick Jadot (Greens/EFA), MEP Assita Kanko (ECR), MEP Katerina Konecna (GUE/NGL), MEP Marisa Matias (GUE/NGL), MEP Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA), MEP Mikulas Peksa (Greens/EFA), MEP Michèle Rivasi (Greens/EFA), MEP Caroline Roose (Greens/EFA), MEP Catherine Rowett (Greens/EFA), MEP Mounir Satouri (Greens/EFA), MEP Alyn Smith (Greens/EFA), MEP Tineke Strik (Greens/EFA), MEP Marie Toussaint (Greens/EFA), MEP Johan Van Overtveldt (ECR)MEP Mick Wallace (GUE/NGL), MEP Salima Yenbou (Greens/EFA), and MEP Tatjana Zdanoka (Greens/EFA).