The goal is to collect endorsements for the manifesto and secure funding for the trial that will take place on 16, 17 and 30 September and 1 October 2026. The hearings will be key in determining whether the shot was intentional and whether the events may constitute torture.
Nine years on, the organizations denounce the police violence carried out during the referendum day, which left 1,066 people requiring medical attention, and call for truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-repetition.
They also stress that this is the only case arising from the events of 1 October that has reached trial, highlighting what they describe as a broader context of impunity.
The campaign is led by Irídia — Centre for the Defense of Human Rights, Stop Bales de Goma, Alerta Solidària, Novact, Òmnium Cultural, the Catalan National Assembly and the CIIVO International Center for Research on Ocular Violence.
Roger Español suffered the mutilation of his eye after being struck by a rubber bullet during the police operation in Barcelona. Four Spanish National Police officers are accused of causing injury with loss of a major organ and of torture. The trial will examine whether criminal liability exists or whether the acts fall under the exemption of “acting in the performance of duty”, as argued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.