Spain’s Supreme Court ruled 25 Catalan leaders should be tried for rebellion, embezzlement or disobeying the state.

Convictions could result in up to 30 years in prison.

More than 20 people were injured as police used riot batons to keep protesters away from federal buildings in Barcelona on Friday night.

Demonstrations also took place in other parts of Catalonia.

In Madrid, a Supreme Court judge ordered five more Catalan leaders to be detained without bail, pending trial over their involvement in October’s banned independence referendum.

One of those taken into custody was Jordi Turull who was to be the subject of a vote in the Catalan parliament on Saturday for regional president.

Other separatist figures were already in custody or had gone into exile abroad.

What happened in the protests?

Friday night’s rallies had been organised by a separatist group before the court decisions were announced.

But the rulings appeared to inflame the protesters and angry crowds confronted lines of riot police protecting Spanish government buildings in Barcelona.

They waved flags and chanted independence slogans while some burned pictures of the Supreme Court judge and of Spain’s King Felipe.

Tensions spilled over into violence as some protesters tried to break through police lines.

Some protesters in Barcelona burned pictured of King Felipe

A calmer rally took place in Catalonia Square, in the city centre.

One protester there, Carme Sala, said: “There are two million people who want to leave Spain and they can’t put us all in prison.”

Catalan TV showed rallies in support of the jailed leaders elsewhere in the region including in the cities of Vic and Tarragona.

What angered the protesters?

Friday’s rulings at the Supreme Court in Madrid were considered the most serious challenge to date for the Catalan independence movement. Almost the entire leadership now faces a major legal fight.

Altogether 25 separatists have been charged variously with sedition, rebellion, embezzlement and other crimes. They deny the allegations.

The five Catalan politicians remanded in custody on Friday were:

• Jordi Turull – former Catalan government spokesman and the latest candidate for regional president
• Josep Rull – former Catalan development minister
• Carme Forcadell – former Catalan parliament speaker
• Raul Romeva – former Catalan foreign affairs chief
• Dolors Bassa – former Catalan labour minister

All five spent some time in detention following the banned referendum but were released on bail late last year pending investigations into their individual roles in the banned referendum.

In his 70-page ruling, Supreme Court Judge Pablo Llarena said that they should be returned to jail as they represented a flight risk. He did not set a date for their trial.

Politician Josep Rull said goodbye to family and friends before entering court on Friday

The five join four other Catalan leaders already detained in prison. They include Oriol Junqueras, the former Catalan vice-president, and Jordi Sánchez, who was nominated to lead the Catalan government but dropped the bid after the Spanish authorities refused to release him to attend an investiture ceremony.

Judge Llarena also issued an arrest warrant for Marta Rovira, the deputy head of the separatist Esquerra Republicana party, who failed to appear in court on Friday.

It later emerged that she had fled into exile and Spanish media reported that she was in Switzerland.

“Exile will be a difficult road, but it is the only way I have to recover my political voice. Long live a Catalan Republic for all!,” she said in a letter published in the Spanish media.

Judge Llarena also reactivated European arrests warrants for six others who are in self-imposed exile, including former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont who is in Belgium.

What other reaction has there been?

The five Catalan leaders were driven from the court to prison

The nationalist Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT) condemned the court ruling and demanded the release of all those held in prison.

Although the leadership vote for Mr Turull can no longer take place on Saturday, Catalan parliament speaker Roger Torrent said he would use the parliamentary session to read a statement in support of those in prison.

Following the referendum, the central government in Madrid sacked the Catalan regional government, imposed direct rule and called new elections but pro-independence parties returned with a slim majority.

In a setback for the pro-independence cause, a survey published by the respected Catalan Centre for Opinion Studies recently suggested support for independence had dropped sharply, with a majority of Catalans now against the idea.

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Source: BBC

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She said this at Chirehin in the Kintampo South District of the Brong Ahafo Region on Tuesday, when she made a stop in that community to participate in a community interface meeting between the citizens and the District Assembly.

The meeting was organised by CARE International and the Women Integrated Development Organisation (WIDO), as part of the implementation of the USAID-funded Ghana’s Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms (GSAM) project.

After witnessing a successful engagement between the citizens and officials of the Assembly, Ms Cromer commended the residents of Chirehin for standing up to their local government authorities to demand accountability and improved service delivery.

“You asked the right questions today. You asked about the cost of the project, you asked about introducing you to the contractor, you asked about delays in construction, you asked about local content. All are excellent questions. I commend you. What we have heard is democracy in action. When communities have information, they are empowered. You are empowered. So I ask you today to continue to hold your leaders accountable.”

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Kintampo South, Alexander Gyan, who responded positively to issues raised by citizens, promised to get the road network to Chirehin properly fixed.

He also reiterated his commitment to ensure that the CHPS Compound that the Assembly is constructing in Chirehin is completed by December.

The Chief of Chirehin, Nana Owusu Gyan II, expressed gratitude to the USAID and its partners for extending the GSAM project to his community, and said the project had helped to improve the implementation of development projects by Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

He pleaded with the USAID and its partners to extend the lifespan of the project so that it can make greater impact and sustain the gains made.

The GSAM project is a five-year social accountability project that seeks to “strengthen citizens’ oversight of capital projects to improve local government transparency, accountability and performance in 100 districts of Ghana.

It is being funded by the USAID, and implemented by the GSAM project Consortium, which comprises CARE, OXFAM (formerly IBIS) and ISODEC.

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By: Mashoud Kombat/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Something so shocking to your system that you will hop off the presidential treadmill of things to do and bulldoze your way through the system to right the wrong.

Say, “Whaaaat? You mean the people of Nsawam are drinking brown water?”

“Whaaaat? You mean our main state hospital, one that a minister a minister of state calls the best in Africa, has run out of gauze?”

“Whaaaaaaaat? You mean more than 150 Ghanaians have been killed in a fire at a gas station?”

At which point you’ll summon the ministers responsible, roll a few heads and knock the rest together to rectify the matter within X number of days.

It’s not that novel, you know.

Days after he was inaugurated, Tanzanian President Magafuli is reported to have paid a surprise visit to the main state hospital (their Korle-Bu), found patients lying of the floor and said, “Whaaaat?” And so he fired the head, canceled some state parties, and found money to buy beds. Truth of hype, it’s set a tone for his leadership.

When 20 elementary school children were killed by a gunman, Obama said “Whaaaaat?” He even wept about it. And he bulldozed his way past a hostile Congress to use whatever legal means were open to him to control guns, at least move the needle a little.

It’s not micromanagement; it’s outrage. Very human.

So the real test of a leader’s heart, and therefore the soul of the country under his or her watch, is what his or her Whaaaat is.

Another year, 10 more Ghanaians have lost their lives needlessly and the lives of their loved ones are shattered, partly, I would argue, because a leader didn’t say “Whaaaat?” the last time around. If he did say it, he didn’t feel it. At least not enough to roll heads, knock heads together, fine some, jail some, put the full final report before the people of Ghana and use that tender moment wisely for all of us to debate and support his plan to implement the report’s recommendations so families wouldn’t be mourning these 10 souls at Christmas.

To be fair, every leader has a Whaaat moment. Like, “Whaaat? You mean people have to bid competitively for this contract?” And then proceed to knock heads together to find a reason to sole source.

So what is your Whaaaat?

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By: Kobina Aidoo

PS: It’s been brought to my attention that most Ghanaians can’t relate to the imagery of water coming out of a fire hose because the Fire Service never has water.

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The Complex is in a poor state due to neglect and this has affected sports development of the various teams and individuals who use the facility for either competitions or training sessions and the Minister said he would inject funds into its refurbishment.

“Uplifting of the facility will be my first project as Sports Minister. Immediately, I will invite the Engineering Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces for discussion and I will commit one million Ghana cedis of the Ministry’s resources for activities to begin the repair of the facility,” Ayariga said to the press after his visit.

He continued:”The facility will be available for use by colts football teams for training. It will also be used by some second division teams who, I am told, are using this place for the various training programmes.”

The Azumah Nelson Sports Complex serves not only football teams, based in and around Kaneshie, but it also has tennis, handball and basketball courts for its lovers.

By: Nathan Quao/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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