Breaking - Catalan Leader Puigdemont Arrested In Germany

The former Catalan President Mr Carles Puigdemont has a few hours ago been arrested in Germany as he crossed the Danish-German border, returning from a lecture he had given in Finland.

The surprise in Europe is great as Mr Puigdemont had been able to walk freely in Brussels, Belgium for months. A few weeks ago, he had travelled via plane to Copenhagen, Denmark to give a lecture over there, also no issues.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, wanted on a Spanish arrest warrant, has been detained in Germany after entering the country from Denmark - Via euronews: <a href="https://t.co/JchHbrPtIs">https://t.co/JchHbrPtIs</a> <a href="https://t.co/JchHbrPtIs">https://t.co/JchHbrPtIs</a></p>&mdash; Dr Paul Monaghan (@_PaulMonaghan) <a href="https://twitter.com/_PaulMonaghan/status/977877934043254785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2018</a></blockquote>

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Related coverage: https://thegoldwater.com/news/19435-Video-Clashes-Erupt-As-Catalonia-Protesters-Fight-Spanish-Police

This time he had opted to return via car from Helsinki, Finland and rumour has it that Spanish intelligence services (the Spanish government had issued a European-wide arrest warrant for him a few months ago for treason as he had tried to secede Catalonia from Spain) were on his tail and have tipped off the German police. As soon as his car crossed the Danish border, Mr Puigdemont's vehicle was put on the side by the German road police after which he was arrested. He is currently held in an unspecified police office in the state of Schleswig-Holstein

Related coverage: https://thegoldwater.com/news/10452-Video-Catalonia-Declares-Independence-From-Spain

According to his Mr Paul Bekaert, his Belgian lawyer who is defending him before the European Court of Justice, it is now up to the German Minister of Justice to decide whether or not Mr Puigdemont will be extradited to Spain.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">1940: Lluís Companys, arrested bij the Gestapo, murdered by fascist Franco. <br><br>2018: Puigdemont, arrested by German police, send to prison by the heirs of Franco. <br><br>Nope, this not my European Union.</p>&mdash; Philip Roose (@PhRoose) <a href="https://twitter.com/PhRoose/status/977877787263602688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2018</a></blockquote>

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Should Germany choose to deport Puigdemont back to Spain then in practice it would mean jail with no trial as Spain in these matters is not even following its own juridical procedures.

Most comments on the German newspapers so far have been negative, with most people stating that Germany has no right to interfere in a Spanish matter in this way.

Source:

https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20180325_03428015