To extradite or not? Belgium holds Puigdemont's fate in its hands
- 6 years ago
Belgium is designating a judge to decide the fate of ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, exiled in the country with four of his separatist allies.
All could face extradition to Spain on charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.
Any extradition process could take up to three months under the European arrest warrants issued by Spanish courts.
Puigdemont and his associates could be summoned by Belgian authorities on Sunday or Monday for the decision-making process to begin.
The sacked leader took to Twitter on Saturday, urging pro-independence parties to unite for next month’s snap elections in Catalonia.
És el moment que tots els demòcrates s’uneixin. Per Catalunya, per la llibertat dels #presospolitics i la República https://t.co/W4WDeUIB43 pic.twitter.com/FwbnA2wMQE— Carles Puigdemont (@KRLS) 4 novembre 2017
“It is time for all democrats to join together. For Catalonia, for the freedom of political prisoners and for the republic,” Puigdemont said in a tweet that included the hashtag llistaunitaria.cat, a site calling for parties to unite against the Spanish government at the ballot box.
Signatures on the website rose to over 40,000 from just 2,000 within a few hours of Puigdemont’s tweet.
And Puigdemont reiterated that he would fully cooperate with Belgian justice following the warrant.
We zijn bereid tot volledige medewerking met Belgische justitie nav het Europees aanhoudingsbevel uitgevaardigd door Spanje— Carles Puigdemont (@KRLS) 4 novembre 2017
Political parties that wish to run on a common platform have until Tuesday to register any potential coalition and until Nov. 18 to put forward their candidates.
Puigdemont has said that he is considering standing in the election from Brussels.
Back in Spain, separatist sentiment also persists in the Basque Country.
And in a show of solidarity on Saturday, thousands braved the rain to protest the imposition of direct rule on Catalonia by the Spanish government after last month’s unilateral declaration of independence.
They also demanded freedom for the eight former Catalan officials in pre-trial custody.
Thousands march in Bilbao in solidarity with Catalonia pic.twitter.com/DfuoJI03rY— Catalans for Yes ️ (@CatalansForYes) November 4, 2017
with Reuters
All could face extradition to Spain on charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.
Any extradition process could take up to three months under the European arrest warrants issued by Spanish courts.
Puigdemont and his associates could be summoned by Belgian authorities on Sunday or Monday for the decision-making process to begin.
The sacked leader took to Twitter on Saturday, urging pro-independence parties to unite for next month’s snap elections in Catalonia.
És el moment que tots els demòcrates s’uneixin. Per Catalunya, per la llibertat dels #presospolitics i la República https://t.co/W4WDeUIB43 pic.twitter.com/FwbnA2wMQE— Carles Puigdemont (@KRLS) 4 novembre 2017
“It is time for all democrats to join together. For Catalonia, for the freedom of political prisoners and for the republic,” Puigdemont said in a tweet that included the hashtag llistaunitaria.cat, a site calling for parties to unite against the Spanish government at the ballot box.
Signatures on the website rose to over 40,000 from just 2,000 within a few hours of Puigdemont’s tweet.
And Puigdemont reiterated that he would fully cooperate with Belgian justice following the warrant.
We zijn bereid tot volledige medewerking met Belgische justitie nav het Europees aanhoudingsbevel uitgevaardigd door Spanje— Carles Puigdemont (@KRLS) 4 novembre 2017
Political parties that wish to run on a common platform have until Tuesday to register any potential coalition and until Nov. 18 to put forward their candidates.
Puigdemont has said that he is considering standing in the election from Brussels.
Back in Spain, separatist sentiment also persists in the Basque Country.
And in a show of solidarity on Saturday, thousands braved the rain to protest the imposition of direct rule on Catalonia by the Spanish government after last month’s unilateral declaration of independence.
They also demanded freedom for the eight former Catalan officials in pre-trial custody.
Thousands march in Bilbao in solidarity with Catalonia pic.twitter.com/DfuoJI03rY— Catalans for Yes ️ (@CatalansForYes) November 4, 2017
with Reuters