Catalonia's leader accused Madrid Wednesday of imposing a "de facto state of emergency" in the Spanish region, with a series of measures to prevent an illegal independence referendum taking place. In a speech following the latest move by Madrid -- the detention of 13 regional government officials -- Carles Puigdemont also claimed the Spanish state had implemented a "de facto suspension of Catalonia's self-governance" by for instance tightening control over Catalan finances. READ MORE:The premier called for "a return to normality and a return to common sense because the referendum cannot take place." Madrid has taken several other steps to prevent the Catalan referendum from going forward, including threatening to arrest mayors who facilitate the vote. In his speech, Puigdemont accused Madrid of "suspending and repressing" freedoms.

Source: The Local September 20, 2017 14:48 UTC