The Supreme Court of Spain on Tuesday revoked the arrest warrant for Carles Puigdemont, the Catalan separatist leader. This decision allows for his return home before the general elections next month.
Historical Background
Carles Puigdemont fled to Belgium in 2017 after an unsuccessful attempt to separate the wealthy region of Catalonia from Spain. He was wanted on charges of embezzling public funds to hold an illegal independence referendum.
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Change in Legal Status
Judge Pablo Llarena immediately revoked the arrest warrant after the Spanish Constitutional Court decided that a pardon for Catalan separatists in 2024 would also include cases of embezzlement. Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, welcomed this decision, stating it would help Catalonia "look to the future."
Puigdemont and other members of his government fled abroad after the separatist attempt in 2017, while several Catalan ministers who remained in Spain were sentenced to long prison terms. In 2024, Sanchez's government passed a law aimed at covering all offenses related to the separatist attempt and reducing tensions in the Catalonia region, despite strong opposition from conservative and right-wing parties.
Political Implications
This law also enabled Sanchez to garner support from Catalan separatist parties and remain in power after the 2023 elections, which resulted in no clear majority. However, Puigdemont's party, Junts, withdrew its support last year, accusing Sanchez of failing to fulfill promises such as providing a pardon for their leader.
Nearly 400 separatists benefited from the pardon, but Puigdemont was excluded due to the initial Supreme Court decision that the law did not apply to those accused of embezzlement. This situation changed after the Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday in favor of one of Puigdemont's allies who had challenged the Supreme Court ruling.
Last week, Junts voted against the government's proposed housing assistance measures amid widespread protests, and the Prime Minister called for an urgent vote on November 29.
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