Germany Jails Catalan Leader Puigdemont, But Does Not Rule On Extradition To Spain Yet

Catalan Leader Carles Puigdemont remains in a German jail (possibly until Easter at least) and has appeared before a lower court judge yesterday for an administrative session. The arrest opens a new chapter in Spain’s attempts to capture the secessionist leader and raises important questions about the reach of EU law, with many wondering why Belgium, Finland, and Sweden did not arrest him and Germany did.

Mr. Michael Kubiciel, a professor of German and European law at the University of Augsburg, explains: “The most important question is whether the act that Mr. Puigdemont is accused of in Spain has an equivalent in the German law.”

Related coverage: https://thegoldwater.com/news/21468-Spain-Violent-Clashes-In-Barcelona-After-Puigdemont-Arrest-In-Germany-Video

“This would be a clear case of liability in Germany and could be a reason for the German court to hand him over to Spain. We’ve seen a lot of cases in which the German Constitutional Court says ‘it’s European law and we have to comply with it.'”

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Last October, Spain gov spox <a href="https://twitter.com/pablocasado_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pablocasado_</a> warned President <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Puigdemont?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Puigdemont</a> &quot;that he would end up like Pres. Ll.Companys who declared independence 83 years ago&quot;. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Catalonia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Catalonia</a>&#39;s President Ll.Companys was handed by Gestapo to fascist Spain in 1940 &amp; killed by firing squad<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FreePuigdemont?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FreePuigdemont</a> <a href="https://t.co/O3BsATjvdS">pic.twitter.com/O3BsATjvdS</a></p>&mdash; David d&#39;Enterria *X (@denterd) <a href="https://twitter.com/denterd/status/978344297073389569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2018</a></blockquote>

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Meanwhile, Germany’s biggest magazine, Der Spiegel, well aware of the German public mood against the arrest of Mr. Puigdemont, argues that the Catalan leader ‘is no traitor’ and wonders whether Germany should extradite him on those grounds at all.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Catalan police fire their weapons in the air at Lleida in order to disperse supporters of former Catalonia’s president Puigdemont, now in judicial custody in Germany. <a href="https://t.co/YO5chuj6ZB">pic.twitter.com/YO5chuj6ZB</a></p>&mdash; Alfons López Tena #FBPE (@alfonslopeztena) <a href="https://twitter.com/alfonslopeztena/status/978014948453502977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2018</a></blockquote>

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Lastly, tensions in Barcelona are boiling over as protests against Mr. Puigdemont become widespread and clashes between Catalan separatists and Spanish police are being reported daily.

Source:

https://politica.elpais.com/politica/2018/03/26/actualidad/1522088744_903384.html