Catalonia's leader accused Madrid Wednesday of having imposed a "de facto state of emergency" in the Spanish region with a series of measures to prevent an illegal referendum from taking place.

In a speech following the latest move by Madrid -- the detention of 13 regional government officials -- Carles Puigdemont also claimed the Spanish state had implemented a "de facto suspension of Catalonia's self-governance" by for instance tightening control over Catalan finances.

source: AFP