The Former President Of Catalonia Has Been Allowed To Return To Spain

Carles Puigdemont lived in exile in Belgium.

The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that the former president of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont, who declared Catalonia’s independence nine years ago and has been living in exile in Belgium ever since, may return to his homeland without fear of arrest, according to BBC.

Following a change in Spain’s parliament and government in 2024, an amnesty was granted to dozens of Catalan politicians and activists involved in the separatist movement and the 2017 referendum.

However, the Supreme Court ruled at the time that the amnesty did not apply to the embezzlement charges brought against Puigdemont and some of his associates, while another judge, investigating allegations of collusion between separatists and Russia, ruled that the amnesty did not apply to the defendants in that case, including Puigdemont.

In October of this year, Spain’s Constitutional Court overturned the decision not to extend the amnesty to Puigdemont and his associates. The far-right Vox party, which opposes both independence and even autonomy for Catalonia, filed an appeal, but on Monday the Supreme Court rejected it.

As a result, Puigdemont and two ministers from his government, Lluís Puig and Toni Comín, can now return to Spain.

In the referendum on Catalan independence, a majority of those who turned out at the polls voted in favor of secession from Spain, but the vote was largely limited to independence supporters, as Madrid had declared the referendum illegal in advance.

After Puigdemont and his allies declared independence following the referendum results, Madrid imposed direct rule in Catalonia, dissolved the regional parliament, and called for early elections, while Puigdemont fled to another European Union country, Belgium.

One day in 2024, he unexpectedly returned to his homeland and spoke at a rally in Barcelona, after which he went into hiding, even though the police tried to find and arrest him.

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail [email protected]