“Independence does not only derive from democratic principle and human rights; independence is a duty. And now, more than ever, in the face of the repression we suffer, independence is a duty we have to society as a whole; […] and it is the only guarantee we have to become truly free.” Those were the words of Esquerra Republicana’s President Oriol Junqueras on Monday at the Party’s extraordinary National Council meeting, this time offline, face-to-face, alongside Carme Forcadell, Dolors Bassa and Raül Romeva, who had been held in prison for almost four years.