CARLES Puigdemont, the former Catalan president, and five jailed pro-independence leaders are raising their cases with the UN Committee for Human Rights (OHCHR) alleging the “violation of their political rights as MPs” by Spain.

The Spanish Constitutional Court suspended Puigdemont last week, while maintaining the measure against the imprisoned Oriol Junqueras, the former vice president, Josep Rull, Jordi Turull, Jordi Sanchez and Raul Romeva.

Puigdemont’s Together for Catalonia (JxCat), the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and the Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), will reveal details of their legal case in Geneva later.

Their move comes as lawyers for the former speaker of the Catalan Parliament, Carme Forcadell, who has spent nearly nine months in prison, urged the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to order her release.

Forcadell, 63, was jailed in March charged with rebellion for her part in the October 2017 referendum, which led to a declaration of independence.

In an interview with the BBC she said that life in her small cell – in which she spends 15 hours a day – was difficult.

“Every day is very hard because you know you are innocent but you don’t know how many days and nights you’ll stay locked up,” she said. “I greatly miss my family and those I love.

“It is especially hard for my mother, who is 90 years old and suffers a lot. Also for my husband and my sons – I want to get out soon for them. When they come to see me, I see the suffering reflected in their eyes.”

Bernat Pegueroles, her husband, added: “It has broken the family, in a way. My sons get on with their lives, but they are suffering too because their mother isn’t here. We have a one-year-old grandson and she hasn’t seen him growing. Now he has started walking, and she is excited when we visit – but the lad doesn’t recognise her.”

Spain alleges that by allowing a debate on independence in the Catalan chamber, Forcadell broke the law – which she denies.

“My role as speaker of the parliament cannot be to censor the debate, if there is a parliamentary majority which has been elected in free and democratic elections and which wants to speak about this subject,” she said.

“In a democratic parliament, the word has to be free.”

Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, and Quim Torra, the Catalan president, will hold a “mini-summit” in Barcelona this evening, along with three ministers from each side. It takes place on the eve of Sanchez’s council of ministers meeting in the Catalan capital, which is likely to be targeted by protestors tomorrow.

Officers from Spain’s National Police have already started to gather in Salou, 70 miles from Barcelona, ahead of the ministerial gathering.

Around 50 police vans are already parked in the resort town and Spain’s interior ministry has said that 600 officers could be deployed.