Spain's Supreme Court has sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders to prison terms of between nine and 13 years for their role in a failed 2017 independence bid.
The long-awaited verdicts were less than those demanded by the prosecution, which had sought up to 25 years behind bars for former Catalan Vice President Oriol Junqueras on grounds of rebellion.
Spain has been bracing itself for the court's ruling, with tension mounting steadily and police sending reinforcements to Catalonia where separatists have pledged a mass response of civil disobedience.
Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, who fled to Belgium to avoid prosecution, denounced the sentences as an "outrage."
"100 years in all. An outrage. Now more than ever, by your side and those of your families. It is time to react as never before," he tweeted.
The 12 defendants, most of them members of the former Catalan government, were put on trial in February for their role in the banned October 1, 2017 referendum and the short-lived independence declaration that followed it.
Protestors sit on the ground blocking a street in Barcelona, Spain, after the court's decision. Source: AP
"The Supreme Court condemns Oriol Junqueras to 13 years of prison... on grounds of sedition and the misuse of public funds," the judges wrote in their ruling.
In Mr Puigdemont's absence, Mr Junqueras served as the main defendant.
In a letter to his supporters released on Monday, Mr Junqueras said the story was far from over.
"To those who are only driven by the will to do harm, we say to them that nothing ends today, you neither win nor convince," he wrote.
"We will come back even stronger... and win."
Young people hold up signs in Catalan reading "Everybody to the airport" during protests in Barcelona, Spain. Source: AP
Separatists denounce ruling
Former parliamentary speaker Carme Forcadell was handed 11 years and six months in prison, while five other former ministers in the Catalan government were jailed for between 10 years and six months and 12 years.
Two influential Catalan civic leaders, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, were also sentenced to nine years in prison, while the remaining three leaders, who faced lesser charges, escaped jail time and were each handed a 60,000-euro (AUD$98,000) fine.
The government is hoping the long-awaited ruling will allow it to turn the page on the crisis in the wealthy northeastern region where support for independence had been gaining momentum over the past decade.
The separatist movement hopes the guilty verdicts will unite their divided ranks and bring supporters onto the streets.
Activists from the region's two biggest grassroots pro-independence groups, the Catalan National Assembly and Omnium Cultural, have urged followers to rally.
In the coming days, demonstrators will march from five towns towards Barcelona, where a general strike has been called for the end of the week.
