In what many see as clearly dubious prosecution by Spanish authorities, President Mas remarked: "It is sad to see that when the Catalan people want to express their opinion … the reaction of the state comes from the courts and prosecutors."

The action comes several weeks after Catalonia held a non-binding vote on independence from Spain, buoyed by what many Catalonians hailed as a close race with the Scottish Independence referendum, a worrisome event to the Spanish government.

The matter brings into the discussion of Parliamentary Immunity and Executive authority held by other nations, and the chilling effect the threat of prosecution can have for representative government of constituents.

Originally the referendum was to be a binding vote upon the government but after the Spanish government issued a legal challenge the referendum was amended to be non-binding, spearheaded by President Mas who on November ninth called for the symbolic vote. The constitutional court ordered a delay to determine legality of the vote but Mas pressed for its furtherance.

The Catalonian Government reported an eighty percent Yes vote for Catalonia to become an independent nation.