Former Catalan leader Puigdemont detained in Germany

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Former Catalan leader Puigdemont detained in Germany

By Sam Edwards and Joseph Nasr

 

FILE PHOTO: Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont at a meeting with his party in Brussels, Belgium March 14, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Vidal/File Photo

 

BARCELONA/BERLIN (Reuters) - Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont was detained in Germany on Sunday, five months after entering self-imposed exile from Spain, where he faces up to 25 years in prison for organising an illegal secession referendum last year.

 

Puigdemont had entered Germany from Denmark after leaving Finland on Friday when it appeared that police would arrest him there and begin an extradition process requested by Spain.

 

The detention threatens to worsen the Catalan crisis that flared last year when the region made a symbolic declaration of independence, prompting Madrid to take direct rule.

 

Spain’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday that 25 Catalan leaders would be tried for rebellion, embezzlement or disobeying the state and reactivated international arrest warrants for Puigdemont and four other politicians who went into self-imposed exile last year.

 

Among those subject to the arrest order, Clara Ponsati, a former Catalan minister now living in Scotland, told authorities she would turn herself in, Scottish police said in a statement on Sunday afternoon.

 

The other three Catalan leaders are in Belgium.

 

Pro-independence groups called for protests on Sunday outside the offices of the delegation of the European Commission and the German consulate.

 

German police arrested Puigdemont on Sunday in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on a European arrest warrant issued by Spain. In a statement, police said Puigdemont was detained near a section of the A7 highway, which cuts through the state from the city of Flensburg near the Danish border.

 

Puigdemont was later transferred to Neumuenster prison, German news agency DPA reported.

 

German magazine Focus said that Spanish intelligence informed the BKA federal police that Puigdemont was on his way from Finland to Germany. It gave no source for its report.

 

He had arrived in Finland on Thursday to meet lawmakers and attend a conference as part of a campaign to raise the profile of the Catalan independence movement in Europe.

 

EXTRADITION ISSUE

 

The Higher Regional Court in Schleswig-Holstein will be responsible for deciding whether to grant Spain’s extradition request.

 

The European arrest warrant system in place since 2004 makes it easier for EU countries to demand extradition from other EU states, having removed political decision-making from the process. EU nations issue thousands of such warrants each year.

 

Puigdemont will appear in court tomorrow to have his remand extended, German prosecutors said in a statement.

 

Paul Bekaert, who represents Puigdemont in Belgium, where he had been subject to an arrest warrant in December, said his client rang him after being detained in Germany and had appeared calm during the conversation.

 

Bekaert told Reuters TV that his client would have to appear before a German judge within 48 hours to determine whether or not to keep him in custody. Puigdemont will take German legal representation, Bekaert said, with the whole legal process, including possible appeals, likely to take months.

 

Puigdemont could take his case to Germany’s highest court, which in 2005 blocked the extradition to Spain on an EU arrest warrant of a German-Syrian al-Qaeda suspect.

 

The case of Mamoun Darkazanli sparked a judicial row between the two countries after Germany’s Federal Constitutional court refused to turn over Darkazanli, saying that EU extradition laws designed to speed up the delivery of suspects between member states violated the rights of German citizens.

 

Puigdemont has previously made clear his preference to fight the extradition process from Belgium, where the former Catalan leader was heading at the time of his detention, according to Puigdemont’s spokesman, Joan Maria Pique.

 

“The president was going to Belgium to put himself, as always, at the disposal of Belgian justice,” Pique told Reuters.

 

The Spanish Supreme Court had issued an international arrest warrant against Puigdemont last year but withdrew it in December to avoid the risk of Belgian authorities granting him asylum.

 

Leaving Belgium had exposed him again to the risk of arrest.

 

Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena also sent five separatist leaders to pre-trial jail, sparking protests across Catalonia.

 

(Additional reporting by Andres Gonzalez in Madrid and Thorsten Severin in Berlin; Writing by Julien Toyer; Editing by Keith Weir and David Goodman)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-26

[BuaBS]

He was stupid to leave Belgium.

[schlog]

Now there is a real politically persecuted in Germany and they arrested him. It is getting more and more blatant.

 

If he had simply thrown away his papers and claimed that he was a Gambian or a Syrian, paradise would have been open to him.

[CharlesSwann]

I take some solace from the whole sorry Catalonia episode. I had feared the new liberalism stalking the world was turning us into cyborgs who were actually incapable of human error, but it seems people - entire nations - are just the same old irrational idiots as ever. Nothing has changed. Bring on the next war. Hoorah!

[lamecn]

Now Francisco Franco has raised from the death, wonder if Adolf will join him.

[phil2407]

The Spanish Supreme Court had issued an international arrest warrant against Puigdemont last year but withdrew it in December to avoid the risk of Belgian authorities granting him asylum.

 

Leaving Belgium had exposed him again to the risk of arrest.

If they withdrew the international arrest warrant how can he be arrested? Was it just removed from Belgium - if so pretty stupid of him to leave Belgium or as soon as he left Belgium was the international arrest warrant reinstated? 

[Baerboxer]

"The case of Mamoun Darkazanli sparked a judicial row between the two countries after Germany’s Federal Constitutional court refused to turn over Darkazanli, saying that EU extradition laws designed to speed up the delivery of suspects between member states violated the rights of German citizens."

 

So German courts can ignore EU laws when they want to. 

 

And what action, sanctions, will the EU put on Germany....?

 

Rather ironic when Germany via the EU Commission and puppet Juncker want to threaten Poland and Hungary that they must abide by EU laws or else!

 

German and EU hypocrisy - hardly surprising.

[Baerboxer]

4 hours ago, schlog said:

Now there is a real politically persecuted in Germany and they arrested him. It is getting more and more blatant.

 

If he had simply thrown away his papers and claimed that he was a Gambian or a Syrian, paradise would have been open to him.

 

He broke the law and defied a court. He deliberately chose to do that in a gamble to push forward his own political agenda.

 

He is a criminal with an arrest warrant out for him. 

 

The German police have acted correctly. Now we'll see if the German courts will.

[Tarteso]

Agreed. No one is above the law, including this one.

Accused of rebellion, sedition and misapropriation of publics funds.

 

[KhunBENQ]

7 hours ago, schlog said:

If he had simply thrown away his papers and claimed that he was a Gambian or a Syrian, paradise would have been open to him.

Kind of.

It was reported that he thinks about claiming asylum.

[KhunBENQ]

Just heard that the asylum idea has been dropped.

Better so!

[CharlesSwann]

6 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

He broke the law and defied a court. He deliberately chose to do that in a gamble to push forward his own political agenda.

 

He is a criminal with an arrest warrant out for him. 

 

The German police have acted correctly. Now we'll see if the German courts will.

You are assuming Catalonia is a vassal state that 'belongs' to Spain even if the majority of Catalonians don't want that? You don't get it. Spanish law is for Spain. These people have declared themselves not to be part of Spain by democractic means - or attempted to.

Germany has to decide whether it supports rational democracy, or some kind of mediaeval pique. That they have detained him is only symptomatic of the massive moral muddle that modern Germany is in.

As for Spain, seems they haven't yet got past the days of the Inquisition and Torquemada. And of course, you can't talk 'em ouda it. [joke credit: Mel Brooks]

[Grouse]

15 minutes ago, CharlesSwann said:

You are assuming Catalonia is a vassal state that 'belongs' to Spain even if the majority of Catalonians don't want that? You don't get it. Spanish law is for Spain. These people have declared themselves not to be part of Spain by democractic means - or attempted to.

Germany has to decide whether it supports rational democracy, or some kind of mediaeval pique. That they have detained him is only symptomatic of the massive moral muddle that modern Germany is in.

As for Spain, seems they haven't yet got past the days of the Inquisition and Torquemada. And of course, you can't talk 'em ouda it. [joke credit: Mel Brooks]

This is the wealthiest part of Spain with extreme devolution already 

 

The man's a small prick

 

Lock him up

[Tarteso]

3 hours ago, CharlesSwann said:

You are assuming Catalonia is a vassal state that 'belongs' to Spain even if the majority of Catalonians don't want that? You don't get it. Spanish law is for Spain. These people have declared themselves not to be part of Spain by democractic means - or attempted to.

Germany has to decide whether it supports rational democracy, or some kind of mediaeval pique. That they have detained him is only symptomatic of the massive moral muddle that modern Germany is in.

As for Spain, seems they haven't yet got past the days of the Inquisition and Torquemada. And of course, you can't talk 'em ouda it. [joke credit: Mel Brooks]

Try to write propertly.

I advise you to read, study and learn about our History,  our past, and almost, about our Constitution. Inform yourself of WHO DID, WHO MADE, of Catalonia, a great Region. As you say "Spanish law is for Spain".... so, you just got the answer, like a wrote before, NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.

 

IMO, hope he don't go to jail... and have a better life, exiled in GAMBIA.

[Tarteso]

Now Francisco Franco has raised from the death, wonder if Adolf will join him.

Simplicity or ignorance?

[CharlesSwann]

9 hours ago, Tarteso said:

Try to write propertly.

I advise you to read, study and learn about our History,  our past, and almost, about our Constitution. Inform yourself of WHO DID, WHO MADE, of Catalonia, a great Region. As you say "Spanish law is for Spain".... so, you just got the answer, like a wrote before, NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.

 

IMO, hope he don't go to jail... and have a better life, exiled in GAMBIA.

Sounds like a guy who's been ditched by his girlfriend. I'm surprised Spain hasn't more dignity than to base their case entirely on wounded pride.

No good bleating about history. Even within my living memory Spain was a fascist dictatorship. In any case, the Catalonian people know enough about their history - and they don't want to be part of Spain anymore. That's their democratic choice. Get over it.

[Tarteso]

Sounds like a guy who's been ditched by his girlfriend. I'm surprised Spain hasn't more dignity than to base their case entirely on wounded pride.
No good bleating about history. Even within my living memory Spain was a fascist dictatorship. In any case, the Catalonian people know enough about their history - and they don't want to be part of Spain anymore. That's their democratic choice. Get over it.

Do not personalice. It’s not a place for talk about all my ex-girlfriends. Be more gentleman and Don’t deviate from OP.

It would be good to engage a more constructive convertation.