MADRID (Sputnik) – The website of the Supreme Court of Spain was targeted in a cyberattack on Tuesday, the day the merits hearing for the trial of Catalan politicians accused of sedition and embezzling state funds during the October 2017 Catalan independence referendum was due to begin.

A DDoS attack targeted the General Council of the Judiciary's (GCJ) website, poderjudicial.es, which includes a subsection for the Supreme Court, the court said.
The website is currently operating normally. READ MORE: Thousands Protest in Madrid Against Spanish PM's Catalonia Proposal (VIDEO) The Supreme Court is supposed to hear cases of 12 of 18 politicians, while the remaining six cases will be sent to the High Court of Justice of Catalonia. Those 12 cases include ones for former Vice President and leader of the Republican Left of Catalonia political party Oriol Junqueras, Speaker of the Catalan Parliament Carme Forcadell, and political activists Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart.

Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont speaks during a media conference in Brussels on Friday, Dec. 22, 2017 ©
AP Photo / Virginia Mayo Trial of Catalan Independence Leaders 'Stress Test' for Spanish Democracy - Puigdemont
On October 1, 2017, Catalonia held an independence referendum, which resulted in over 90 percent of voters backing the region's autonomy. Madrid refused to recognize its results, but this did not preclude the Catalan parliament from declaring independence on October 27 of that year. This prompted the Spanish government to dismiss the regional authorities and impose direct rule over Catalonia.
When the new Catalan government led by President Quim Torra came to power in June, Madrid restored the region's autonomy.Source: sputniknews.com