In the context of protests over the killing of George Floyd in the United States, Mattis and Rahman are charged with setting fire to a police car that was empty, Democracy Now reported in a statement.

Initially, though released on bail, the federal government changed the bond conditions and temporarily closed them. This measure affected the community of jurists, as neither Mattis nor Rahman have a criminal record.

The Centre for Constitutional Rights and other civil rights organisations continue to demand the release on bail of the two detained lawyers. A group of 50 former federal prosecutors has also signed a letter asking the Government not to use the case to resolve the conflict in Catalonia.