Former Catalan Separatist Leader Awaits German Court Ruling

After the German court rejected the extradition request for Carlos Puigdemont, the former leader of the Catalan separatists, Mr. Puigdemont stated that he would remain in Berlin awaiting the court's ruling on another charge against him. The German police arrested the former leader of the Catalan separatists on April 5 in the city of Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein state. In Spain, the former Catalan leader faces charges such as rebellion, sedition against the government, misuse of public funds, disobedience, and breach of trust (from the people). He had previously fled to Belgium months earlier due to fears of arrest, and despite Madrid's request, a Belgian court refused to extradite him. According to Reuters, similar to the Belgian court, last Thursday the German court also rejected Mr. Puigdemont's extradition to the Spanish government on charges of rebellion. Now, Carlos Puigdemont is awaiting the ruling from the same court regarding another extradition request on charges of misuse of public funds. On Saturday, April 18, he expressed hope in an interview with reporters that after the court's ruling, he would be able to return to Belgium. After the German court rejected the extradition request for this former leader of Catalonia, the Spanish Supreme Court announced last Friday that it is considering consulting with the European Criminal Court regarding the German court's ruling. So far, no further details have been released about the next steps from the Spanish Supreme Court. Catalonia held an independence referendum in October 2017, which the central government declared illegal and unconstitutional. In this referendum, over 40% of eligible voters participated, with 90% voting in favor of Catalonia's independence. At that time, Carlos Puigdemont, the then-president of the local government, sent the results of this referendum to the Catalan parliament, which voted in favor of the region's independence. Following that, the Spanish government revoked Catalonia's autonomy and pursued the separatist leaders. In this context, the former leader of the Catalan separatists was arrested in Germany, with Madrid trying to prevent Puigdemont's re-election as the leader of Catalonia.