Statement regarding the exceptional situation in Catalonia

Catalonia is immersed in an exceptional political and social situation, aggravated by the detentions on remand of five more members of Parliament and the detention of President Carles Puigdemont.
The International Catalan Institute for Peace, an institution that defends and works to promote peacebuilding, human rights and conflict resolution, strongly condemns politically-motivated detention, as we have done previously regarding the events of 1 October, and we note with concern the grave violation of political and social rights we are experiencing. There are clear indications of a lack of separation of powers in Spain, which is the basis of the rule of law. Subjecting a political conflict to judicial process will never lead to its resolution.
We deplore this obvious weakening of democracy and, following the call for unity of action by the President of Parliament, Roger Torrent, we put ourselves at the disposal of Catalan institutions, parties and organizations to work with the aim of promoting coexistence, rooted in justice and democratic legitimacy.
We also appeal to the whole of Catalan society to demonstrate a peaceful and nonviolent demeanor in any type of protest.
In the words of the philosopher and writer Jean-Marie Muller: “Law must not dictate what is right; what is right must dictate what is law.”