Carme Forcadell, Speaker of the Catalan Parliament

A Spanish judge has jailed the Speaker of the Catalonian parliament, Carme Forcadell on a rebellion charge connected with the region’s independence declaration.

The judge of the Supreme Court, Pablo Llarena also set Forcadell’s bail at 150,000 euros and ordered the confiscation of her passport for the role she played when separatist lawmakers passed a declaration to form a new Catalan republic on October 27, disregarding the warnings of a constitutional court.

Her prosecutors are pursuing charges of rebellion, sedition and embezzlement which are punishable by up to 30 years of imprisonment under Spanish law.

Llarene had questioned Forcadell, who had sought to avoid detention, and five other members of the Catalan parliament on Thursday for more than 10 hours before finally deciding to jail them.

Catalonia’s deposed President, Carles Puidgemont and four of his former cabinet members have since fled to Brussels, Belgium where they are fighting Spanish arrest and extradition orders which the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy said had the full backing from other European Union countries.