Spain’s Supreme Court has summoned two Catalan separatists, former president of the Catalan Generalitat and MEP Carles Puigdemont and former Catalan Parliament deputy Rubén Wagensberg. The official summons is related to a terrorism investigation into the protests that followed the unsuccessful 2017 independence referendum.
The court has scheduled videoconferences for Puigdemont and Wagensberg for the period of June 17-21, during which they will be required to provide voluntary statements accompanied by their lawyers. The court has issued a European Investigation Order and/or an International Rogatory Commission in criminal matters through Eurojust to pinpoint their exact locations.
This move comes against the backdrop of the criminal case opened in February, linking Puigdemont and Wagensberg to alleged terrorism crimes in the noteworthy “Democratic Tsunami” case.
The “Democratic Tsunami” case centers on investigations into the actions of Tsunami Democrátic, a pro-independence activist group. This organization became prominent due to widespread demonstrations sparked by the imprisonment of key Catalan pro-independence leaders in October 2019.
The Supreme Court Criminal Chamber has unanimously adopted its jurisdiction and unveiled this case to look into and potentially prosecute the accused for their alleged involvement in terrorism crimes related to the Democratic Tsunami case.
Simultaneously, the European Civic Forum, along with Amnesty International and 20 other human rights organizations, has publicly denounced the indictment labeling it as a violation of Spain’s duties towards upholding international human rights standards and abiding by European Union Law.
After being involved in the failed 2017 separatist bid, Carles Puigdemont has been living in self-exile in Belgium to avoid prosecution. Recently, he shared his intent to stand in the Catalan regional elections on May 12, further pledging to return to Catalonia if elected as the regional president. All the while, Wagensberg, a pro-independence Esquerra MP, who has been strongly linked with the Tsunami Democrátic investigation, has temporarily relocated himself to Switzerland.