A CHORUS of protest has greeted a ban on the use of the terms “political prisoners” and “exiles” in reports about the indyref trial by public broadcaster the Catalan Media Corporation (CCMA).

Spain’s Electoral Board (JEC) ordered Catalonia Radio and TV3 not to use the terms to describe those on trial or others accused – including exiled former president Carles Puigdemont and his education minister Clara Ponsati.

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However, the broadcasters’ professional councils said the order was “censorship incompatible with respect for freedom of expression and freedom of the press”.

Its TV council stated that “exile” or “exiled” were used in news stories in accordance with three dictionary definitions.

“Political prisoners,” it said, related to a classification from the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe.

In a statement, the council said: “In the media of the CCMA we have referred to various expressions that we think in the pronouncement of the Council of Europe.

“To impose the choice of words that make the means to tell the truth is censorship.”

It said the JEC was creating a serious precedent which it considered control of informative speech.

“Today it is ‘exile’ and ‘political prisoners’. Tomorrow we’ll see what words will be,” the TV council said.

A statement from the council of Catalonia Radio added: “The risk of opening this door is unpredictable and can have incalculable consequences. The magistrates have outgrown their powers and have become a figure we have forgotten. The censors return and we fear that the Provincial Electoral Board wants to start a witch hunt.”

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The JEC had been critical of TV3’s coverage of a huge pro-Catalan demonstration in Madrid two weeks ago, describing it as an “unequivocally partisan act”, but CCMA hit back, calling it “surrealist”.

Catalonia Radio added: “The judges should not have any authority to decide what must be the programming of the public media.”

Neus Bonet, dean of the College of Journalists of Catalonia, added: “We are surprised that the Central Electoral Board, once again, goes against the general interests of a democratic society ... Treating the public media as if they were to write when dictated to, once again.”

Catalan president Quim Torra called the JEC’s decision “censorship”, telling Portuguese TV: “Imagine how far freedom of expression is questioned in our country.”