Police in Barcelona, Spain failed to arrest Catalonia’s former leader Carles Puigdemont on Thursday after he appeared before a crowd at a separatist rally to deliver a speech. Puigdemont, who has been under a Spanish arrest warrant since his 2017 independence referendum, managed to evade capture once again. The referendum, which was declared illegal by the Spanish government, led to multiple legal actions against Catalan separatist leaders.
Puigdemont’s entrance into Spain remains a mystery, as does his subsequent disappearance following the speech. A police officer allegedly involved in aiding his escape was later arrested.
Spain’s Tribunal Supremo has previously reaffirmed the arrest warrants for Puigdemont, rejecting any claims of amnesty. The court ruled that a recent amnesty law does not absolve the separatist leaders of their penal responsibilities stemming from the organization of the 2017 Catalan independence referendum, which was adjudged as unconstitutional by the Spanish constitutional court.
In a related development, Spain’s Supreme Court had recently summoned Puigdemont to provide voluntary statements in an ongoing terrorism investigation linked to protests related to the failed independence referendum. European human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have criticized these judicial actions as violations of international human rights standards and European Union law, as highlighted in a joint statement published earlier this year.
Currently living in self-imposed exile in France, Puigdemont has described the Spanish judicial system as biased and corrupt in his public comments, attacking the legitimacy of the Tribunal Supremo.