A letter to my family, and especially to my mother

Former member of the Catalan ParliamentDear family, dear Mom,

It's been a few days now since I passed the number of days from my previous prison stay. Today makes it 50 days —plus 32 from November— for a total of 82 days. It's the first thing I think when I wake up in the morning: "One more day".

I told you that we have to persevere, that this time would be longer, and now the bad predictions have come true. I'm standing firm, as you have done too, Mom, throughout all the difficulties and bad times that you've seen during your 86 years. I think about dad's passing, as young as he was, and Joan’s, your beloved son. This time, as always, our family is very united, and I think that this must make you proud. I've always admired your resilience, admired how you've accepted events, and how you've been able to overcome them by drawing strength and energy from within yourself, but especially from your huge heart.

I know that me being in prison is a hard blow for you. But I also know that you are convinced that neither me nor any of my companions should be in prison. You raised us with a belief in ideological freedom and the right to freedom of opinion and speech. Our family has been a matriarchy revolving around you, and you taught us that respect, love for others, dialogue, and coexistence for the general good should be our guiding principles. That's why you have so many friends and why we are a respected and loved family in our town by the people who know us —and they tell me that the demonstrations of support never stop coming.

Both me and my sister —who has been taken it upon herself to explain the injustice of our imprisonment— have tried to follow your lead when educating our own children, Bep, Pau, and Isarn.

I'm telling you all this so that, in these moments when longing is the principle that governs us, you remain strong. So that you keep on caring for everyone, as you've always done, but especially for yourself. Mom, I need you to be strong, determined, and content —despite my physical absence— because you have to know that they have taken my freedom, but not my thoughts or feelings, and as such, my heart and my mind are with all of you.

In my latest appearances before Judge Llarena I was clear and firm: there was no violence on October 1st, except that by the police. We are a united and peaceful people. We persevere. And everything that we have done has been to carry out the popular mandate of the September 27 elections, the sovereignty of Parliament, and has been marked by the right to ideological liberty, freedom of speech and opinion, and right to political freedom, including dissidence. Indeed, what you have always taught us every day: to work for the general good and to improve what is around us, which is why, like you who were a teacher for so many years, both Montse, my sister, a teacher and pedagogue, and I, a teacher and psycho-pedagogue, have wanted to follow in your footsteps by working every day to contribute in our own small way to making the world a little bit better, like you taught us.

Mom, I'm sure that we will be able to show that nothing of which we stand accused, neither rebellion nor misappropriation, are true crimes in our case. And that this pre-trial imprisonment is simply for political reasons. That is why we will persevere and live with the utmost dignity and patience.

I'm looking forward to our monthly visit to hug you close and kiss all of you, and I hope that the whole family will soon be able to enjoy happy, joyful days together. Meanwhile, know that, even though I'm not there, I'm thinking of you, and that the best that you can do for me is to take care of yourselves and love each other as always.

Hugs and kisses to you all!