Jailed Catalan independence leader to teach at university

MADRID – A jailed pro-Catalan independence politician was allowed to leave prison Tuesday to take up part-time teaching work at a university.

Oriol Junqueras, a former vice-president for Spain’s wealthy northeastern Catalonia region, is serving a 13-year sentence for his role in the illegal secession push against Spain by the Catalan government in 2017.

He has been in custody since then and was sentenced to prison late last year along with eight others.

Junqueras was elected to the European Parliament last May while in custody. Spain’s courts have ruled against him being able to take his seat.

The separatist leader will be allowed three furloughs a week to teach classes at the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia. It was not clear what subject that Junqueras, who is a historian by training, would teach.