The Spanish government has warned to jail sacked Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, within two months, for his role in the Catalonia's unilateral declaration of independence.
The warning came after thousands took to the streets of Barcelona on Sunday under the Spanish flag for a unity rally after Catalan MPs vote for independence two days ago, reports the Guardian.
In the aftermath of the independence vote, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy deposed Catalan presiden and the Parliament to impose direct ruler over it and called for a new regional election on December 21.
According to the report, Spanish prosecutors on Friday said that they would file charges of rebellion against Puigdemont, a crime punishable with up to 30 years in prison.
The Catalan Government had said that it earned the right to split from Spain, claiming 90 percent of those who voted in referendum were in favour of independence.
Before Madrid's imposition of direct rule over it, Catalonia enjoyed wide autonomy, including control over its own policing, education and healthcare.
Catalan nationalists have always argued that the region is a separate nation with its own history, culture and language, and that it should have increased fiscal independence.