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Spanish judge jails eight members of deposed Catalan government Spanish judge jails eight members of deposed Catalan government
(about 2 hours later)
A judge in Madrid has ordered eight members of the deposed Catalan government to be remanded in custody pending possible charges over last week’s declaration of independence, while Spanish prosecutors are seeking a European arrest warrant for the region’s ousted president, Carles Puigdemont. A judge in Madrid has ordered eight members of the deposed Catalan government to be remanded in custody pending possible charges over last week’s declaration of independence, and Spanish prosecutors are seeking a European arrest warrant for the region’s ousted president, Carles Puigdemont.
On Thursday afternoon, a judge at Spain’s national court jailed the eight former ministers - including Puigdemont’s deputy, Oriol Junqueras - while they are investigated on possible charges of sedition, rebellion and misuse of public funds. Carmen Lamela, sitting in Spain’s national court, jailed the eight former ministers – including Puigdemont’s deputy, Oriol Junqueras – on Thursday while they are investigated on possible charges of sedition, rebellion and misuse of public funds.
A ninth, who resigned the day before the Catalan parliament voted to declare independence last Friday, can remain at liberty on bail of €50,000. Lamela ruled that a ninth, who resigned the day before the Catalan parliament voted to declare independence last Friday, could remain at liberty on bail of €50,000 (£44,600).
Puigdemont, who is in Brussels, had been summoned to attend Spain’s national court to give evidence on Thursday and Friday. Lawyers for those under investigation said their clients would appeal against the judge’s decision, which they described as unjustified, disproportionate and predetermined.
In a written request to Judge Carmen Lamela of the national court, prosecutors said that Puigdemont and the others were aware that they had been ordered to testify, but had chosen not to attend.“Repeated attempts to deliver the summons at home and repeated phone calls have been ignored,” they said. “For his part, Carles Puigdemont has publicly stated his intention not to appear and has requested … to make a statement via videoconference, without giving any information about his current whereabouts.” Puigdemont, who travelled to Brussels shortly before Spain’s attorney general announced his intention to pursue the charges, had been summoned to attend the national court to give evidence on Thursday and Friday.
Consequently, they added, they were requesting Puigdemont be found and arrested, along with four other regional ministers who are also in Belgium. In a written request to Lamela, prosecutors said that Puigdemont and four other members of his administration were aware that they had been ordered to testify, but had chosen not to attend.
The Catalan National Assembly, a pro-independence grassroots group, called for a huge demonstration on Thursday evening outside the Catalan parliament in Barcelona. “Repeated attempts to deliver the summons at home and repeated phone calls have been ignored,” they said. “For his part, Carles Puigdemont has publicly stated his intention not to appear and has requested … to make a statement via videoconference, without giving any information about his current whereabouts.”
Its vice-president, Agusti Alcoberro, described the arrested leaders as “political prisoners”, and tweeted: “Vice-president and ministers, we will not stop until we secure your freedom.” Consequently, they added, they were requesting Puigdemont be found and arrested, along with the four other regional ministers who are also in Belgium.
The mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, described it as a “black day for Catalonia”, adding: “A government democratically elected at the ballot box is in jail. There is a common front to achieve the freedom of the political prisoners.” Lamela’s decision to remand the leaders in custody on the grounds that they could be a flight risk was swiftly condemned by politicians and civil society groups in Catalonia and beyond.
Earlier on Thursday, Puigdemont’s lawyer said that although his client would cooperate with the courts, he intended to remain in Brussels. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Catalonia last month after the same judge ordered the jailing of two prominent pro-independence leaders, Jordi Sánchez, the president of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), and Jordi Cuixart, the president of Òmnium Cultural.
“The climate is not good, it is better to take some distance,” Paul Bekaert told Reuters. “If they ask, he will cooperate with Spanish and Belgian justice. Both men are under investigation for alleged sedition in the run-up to the unilateral independence referendum on 1 October.
A parallel supreme court session for six Catalan lawmakers was postponed for a week. The ANC called for a huge demonstration on Thursday evening outside the Catalan parliament in Barcelona. Its vice-president, Agustí Alcoberro, said the arrested leaders were political prisoners, and tweeted: “Vice-president and ministers, we will not stop until we secure your freedom.”
Some members of the separatist government had appeared at the national court early on Thursday morning. The hearing, which deals with major criminal cases, began at 9am and will continue on Friday. The mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, described it as a black day for Catalonia. “A government democratically elected at the ballot box is in jail,” she said. “There is a common front to achieve the freedom of the political prisoners.”
Junqueras, was the first to arrive at the court. He went in accompanied by lawyers, passing by dozens of journalists, and declined to answer questions. Pablo Iglesias, the leader of the anti-austerity Podemos party, said: “I’m ashamed that they lock up opponents in my country. We don’t want Catalan independence, but today we say ‘free the political prisoners’.”
Assumpció Lailla, a former politician with Catalonia’s Democrats party, said she had travelled to Madrid joining about 100 other politicians and elected officials to show support to those investigated in the rebellion investigation. Late on Thursday afternoon, Puigdemont’s Belgian lawyer, Paul Bekaert, said the idea of seeking asylum was now off the table.
Bekaert told the Associated Press he was not aware of a European arrest warrant being issued for his client, but said Puigdemont would turn himself in to Belgian authorities if one were. “We will put in place everything we can in order to collaborate with the Belgian police,” he said.
Puigdemont, 54, has dismissed the accusations against him as politically motivated. On Tuesday he said he would remain in Brussels until he received guarantees that any proceedings would be impartial.
A parallel supreme court session for six Catalan MPs, including Carme Forcadell, the speaker of the regional parliament, was postponed for a week following a request from their lawyers.
The nine members of the separatist government had appeared at the national court early on Thursday morning.
Junqueras was the first to arrive at the court. He entered the building accompanied by lawyers, passing by dozens of journalists and declined to answer questions.
Assumpció Lailla, a former politician with Catalonia’s Democrats party, said she had travelled to Madrid to join about 100 other politicians and elected officials to show support to those under investigation for rebellion.
“This is an unjust situation in which they are being investigated for facilitating democracy,” she told the Associated Press. “I don’t understand how Europe can look away from democracy.”“This is an unjust situation in which they are being investigated for facilitating democracy,” she told the Associated Press. “I don’t understand how Europe can look away from democracy.”
Supporters outside court cheered and shouted: “Freedom, Freedom” and “we are not afraid”. Supporters outside court cheered and shouted “freedom, freedom” and “we are not afraid”.
Across the street, half a dozen protesters with Spanish flags were stopped by police. Addressing the Catalan politicians, they shouted “cowards” and “to jail, to jail.” Across the street, police stopped a handful protesters with Spanish flags. Addressing the Catalan politicians, they shouted “cowards” and “to jail, to jail”.
In Barcelona, thousands of people rallied outside the Catalan presidential palace on Thursday afternoon in a show of support for the ousted officials.In Barcelona, thousands of people rallied outside the Catalan presidential palace on Thursday afternoon in a show of support for the ousted officials.
An independence referendum on 1 October – which heavy-handed Spanish police tried and failed to stop – was followed by a declaration of independence by the Catalan parliament last Friday. Spain has been convulsed by its worst political crisis in four decades since Puigdemont’s government held the unilateral independence referendum in defiance of Spain’s government, constitution and constitutional court.
Later that day, the Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy’s government dismissed the regional government and moved to impose direct rule on the wealthy north-eastern region. MPs in the 135-seat regional parliament voted for independence last Friday by a margin of 70 votes to 10.
On Monday, Spain’s chief prosecutor said he was seeking charges of rebellion – punishable by up to 30 years in prison – sedition and misuse of public funds against the 14. Dozens of opposition MPs boycotted the secret ballot, walking out of the chamber in Barcelona before it took place and leaving Spanish and Catalan flags on their empty seats in protest.
The speaker of the Catalan parliament, Carme Forcadell, and five parliamentary deputies were also due to be questioned over the same alleged offences, but a judge at Spain’s supreme court adjourned the hearing until next Thursday following a request from their lawyers. Minutes later, the Spanish senate granted the government in Madrid unprecedented powers to impose direct rule on Catalonia under article 155 of the constitution.
Puigdemont, 54, has dismissed the accusations as politically motivated. On Tuesday he said he would remain in Brussels until he had guarantees that any proceedings would be impartial. Spain’s prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, used the article to sack Puigdemont and his government and announce snap regional elections on 21 December.
In a statement, he said there was a concerted effort to divide his government. Some will go before a national audience “to denounce the drive of Spanish justice to pursue political ideas”, while others “will stay in Brussels to decry this political process to the international community”, he wrote. Speaking at a press conference in Brussels on Tuesday, Puigdemont dispelled speculation that secessionists might refuse to participate in the elections, saying he accepted the challenge “with all our strength”.
Puigdemont has retained the support of many in Catalonia. Maria Angels Selgas, a 60-year-old sales manager in Barcelona, said for her, Puigdemont was still the Catalan president. Spain wants Catalonia “to abandon our political project, and they won’t achieve it”, he said.
“If they humiliate him then they humiliate also the more than 2 million Catalans who voted yes in the referendum,” she said.
On Wednesday, several hundred separatist supporters accompanied some of those due to appear in the Madrid court to Barcelona’s main train station, chanting “liberty” and “you are not alone”.
But Catalans remain deeply divided about independence, polls indicate.
The international community has swung firmly behind Rajoy, and uncertainty about Catalonia’s future has prompted companies to move their legal headquarters outside the region.
In addition, there are signs of growing divisions in the separatist camp, with many unhappy with Puigdemont and his handling of the situation.
Fernando Vallespin, a political scientist in Madrid, said he believed Puigdemont, a former journalist, was “more interested in obtaining media attention than escaping justice”.
“It’s a media war. The aim of [the Catalan executive] has been to try and present the Spanish state as an oppressor state and Puigdemont needs to feed this narrative,” he said.
Rajoy has called snap elections for 21 December to replace the Catalan parliament. Puigdemont said he would respect the result and appealed to Madrid to do the same.