Catalan independence leaders face Belgian, Spanish rulings

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A Belgian court decides Monday on whether to extradite Catalonia’s ex-leader Carles Puigdemont to Spain, where he faces charges of rebellion and sedition after pushing for the region’s independence.

In Madrid, a separate hearing will meanwhile rule on whether to release eight other members of the former regional government, a day before Catalonia starts campaigning for December 21 elections.

How did we get here and how will these rulings impact the upcoming election? Here’s a recap.

Referendum, ousting, flight

Madrid sacked Catalonia’s government – including its president, 54-year-old Carles Puigdemont – on October 27 after the regional parliament voted to unilaterally declare independence.

This followed a referendum on October 1 in which a majority voted for Catalonia to secede from Spain. Madrid however declared the vote illegal.

People attend a concert to demand the release of jailed Catalan cabinet members in Barcelona, Spain, December 3, 2017. /Reuters Photo

The Spanish government imposed direct control over semi-autonomous Catalonia, called new regional elections for December 21, and announced it was pressing charges against Puigdemont.

The former Catalan leader later appeared in Belgium, amid rumors he might seek political asylum there.

On November 4, an EU arrest warrant was issued for Puigdemont and four ex-ministers – Antoni Comin, Clara Ponsati, Meritxell Serret and Lluis Puig – who had traveled with him to Belgium.

A day later, the five turned themselves in to Belgian police.

Sedition and rebellion

Spain has charged Puigdemont and his four colleagues with sedition, rebellion, misuse of public funds, disobedience and breach of trust.

If convicted, they risk up to 30 years in prison.

Sacked Catalan government officials Meritxell Serret, Clara Ponsati and Antoni Comin participate in a demonstration to show support to ousted leader Carles Puigdemont in Brussels, Belgium, November 12, 2017. / Reuters Photo

At a hearing on November 17, Belgian prosecutors called for the five to be extradited. They are currently free on bail but cannot leave the country without authorization.

Puigdemont has insisted he is not trying to escape “real justice” but rather “clearly politicized” Spanish proceedings.

Whatever Monday’s ruling, there is still room for appeals, which could keep the process going for another month at least.

Separately, Puigdemont’s former vice-president Oriol Junqueras and seven other ex-ministers have been held in Spanish custody since early November, charged with rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.

Two other pro-independence leaders, Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sanchez, have been in jail since October 16, also accused of sedition for their role in protests ahead of the referendum. They risk up to 15 years in prison if found guilty.

A police van carrying former Catalan cabinet members, currently in custody awaiting trial, enters the Supreme Court in Madrid, Spain, December 1, 2017. /Reuters Photo

All 10 already appeared before Spain’s Supreme Court on Friday asking to be released pending trial. On Monday, the judge is expected to rule whether they constitute a flight risk or can be freed on bail.

Under Spanish law, they can be held for four years while they await trial.

Impact on election

Despite the extradition proceedings and charges hanging over him, Puigdemont said he plans to stand in the December 21 election.

A spokesman for the Spanish government, Inigo Mendez de Vigo, has said anyone can run as long as they have not been convicted of a crime.

On Saturday however, Puigdemont’s lawyer said his client would remain in Belgium for the duration of the campaign, which will start officially on Tuesday.

"No matter what, they will be (in Brussels) till at least December 21 and… this could go on till mid-January," Jaume Alonso Cuevillas told Catalan radio Rac1, adding that there would probably be appeals.

Protesters take part in a demonstration called by pro-independence associations asking for the release of jailed Catalan activists and leaders in Barcelona, Spain, November 11, 2017. /Reuters Photo

This hasn’t stopped Puigdemont from campaigning – over the weekend, he addressed a rally of his Junts per Catalunya supporters via video link from Brussels.

Junqueras, meanwhile, is a leading candidate for the ERC party and has asked to be released from custody so that he can campaign. On Sunday, he published a “letter from prison” on Politico in which he accused Madrid of throwing “the government chosen by Catalonia’s citizens… in jail” and appealed to the EU to oversee the results of the vote.

But while rulings in their favor would allow the candidates more freedom of movement ahead of the poll, they might lose a key rallying cry.

The separatist parties have slammed what they say have been repressive actions by the Spanish government. But “once they no longer have political prisoners, they will have to change their campaign," Oriol Bartomeus, a politics professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, told AFP news agency.

(With input from wire agencies)

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