A UN committee has found that Spain violated the political rights of four former Catalan separatist leaders by suspending them from public duties prior to their convictions over the region's 2017 bid for independence, it said on Wednesday.
The ruling is largely symbolic with no penalty for the Spanish government or Spain's courts but represents a boost for Catalan separatists, who continue to push for independence although their movement has lost momentum.
The UN Human Rights Committee said the four were suspended following an accusation they had encouraged a violent rebellion, but were eventually convicted of the lesser charge of sedition.
