Junqueras was among nine separatist leaders who were sentenced to between nine and 13 years in prison for sedition for their part in the region's failed 2017 independence bid which captured headlines around the world.

A further three defendants were found guilty of disobedience but were not handed prison sentences. Meanwhile, the former regional president and face of the separatist movement Carles Puigdemont remains in exile in Belgium. In a statement in response to the sentencing, he described the 100 years of total prison time for the former leaders as an "atrocity." 

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