Oriol Junqueras News

Catalonia`s sacked vice president and three other separatist leaders will remain in prison pending a probe over their role in the region`s independence drive, a Supreme Court judge decided Monday.

A judge in Madrid on Thursday ordered ministers of Catalonia`s deposed government to be held in jail pending further probes into their role in the regional government`s quest for independence, prompting calls for protests in Barcelona and other cities.

A senior Catalan official on Saturday said an offer of talks with Madrid over his region`s independence push was aimed at negotiating secession from Spain, not stopping it.