Spain’s Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena confirmed on Tuesday that he will not apply the controversial amnesty law to Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont given that some of the crimes he is accused of is not covered by the grace norm.
The former Catalan president describes how he pulled off his daring escape.
Spanish leader will be quietly delighted that the Catalan is far away in Belgium again, rather than in a Spanish jail as a martyr.
Salvador Illa’s appointment comes as the region’s former controversial leader Carles Puigdemont returned to his home state from exile.
The former Catalan leader accused the Spanish government of not letting him exercise his “right to speak and vote.”
Fugitive Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont said Friday he had left Spain for Belgium after briefly addressing supporters in Barcelona, sparking a row over how he evaded arrest again. Puigdemont, who fled abroad after leading a failed 2017 in…
Carles Puigdemont, the Catalan separatist leader, has evaded Spanish police and is now back Waterloo, Belgium.
Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont left Spain for Belgium on Friday after appearing at a rally in Barcelona, despite a warrant for his arrent in Spain, his party said.
There is so far “no objective element” to confirm that former Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont managed to flee Spain for Belgium after his controversial visit to Barcelona on Thursday (8 August), according to Catalan police chief Eduard Sall…
The former Catalan president staged a dramatic flight from Barcelona – but his charade could fuel extremism in the region and beyondAn egotistical and polarising rightwing election loser addresses his adoring supporters in a speech, casting himself as …
Fugitive Catalan separatist has returned to Belgium after flying visit to Barcelona in which police failed to arrest himCarles Puigdemont is no longer in Spain and will never give himself up, his lawyer, Gonzalo Boye, said after the fugitive former Cat…
A top Spanish judge demands answers from Catalan police on how Carles Puigdemont was able to escape.
Catalan police have no information that wanted separatist leader Carles Puigdemont had fled Spain and returned to Belgium after eluding arrest in Barcelona, its chief told reporters on Friday, without ruling out that Puigdemont remained in Spain’s sec…
Wanted in Spain for ‘aggravated misuse of public funds,’ the former head of the Catalan government, who has been on the run for seven years, made a brief appearance before disappearing under the noses of regional police.
Puigdemont spent last night in France after giving police the slip, party boss says.
A top Spanish judge demands answers from Catalan police on how Carles Puigdemont was able to escape.
Police launched a manhunt in Barcelona on Thursday for fugitive Carles Puigdemont, a celebrated campaigner for Catalan independence who made a sensational return to Spain and an equally sensational getaway from a speech in the city with the alleged he…
The fugitive separatist leader snuck into Spain, gave a speech in Barcelona and then vanished into thin air.
The Catalan separatist leader went from yesterday’s man to action hero.
Former Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont defied an arrest warrant to appear at a rally in Barcelona on Thursday after seven years of self-imposed exile, before fleeing the scene with the help of a local police officer. Story by Emerald Maxwe…
Former Catalan president and separatist leader Carles Puigdemont staged a scene worthy of one of the best performances by escape artist Harry Houdini when he gave a speech in Barcelona on Thursday, where he was actively sought by the Spanish authoritie…
Carles Puigdemont has evaded arrest after making a speech in Barcelona to a large crowd. Spanish authorities put out an arrest warrant for the fugitive former Catalan separatist leader in 2017 after he attempted to organise an independence referendum. …
Fugitive former regional president addressed supporters in Barcelona before disappearing, sparking police operationEurope live – latest updatesCatalan police have launched an operation to find and arrest Carles Puigdemont and set up roadblocks on route…
Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont returned to Spain from southern France, and before some 3.500 separatist supporters gathered in Barcelona on Thursday lamented the “repression” of which he said he had been a victim since 2017, while escaping …
Carles Puigdemont returned to Spain as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez struck a deal with moderate Catalan separatists to make the Socialist candidate, Salvador Illa, the next head of the Catalan regional government.
Former Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont, who fled Spain after organizing an independence referendum in the wealthy Spanish region nearly seven years ago that was declared illegal, returned to the country on Thursday despite a pending arrest warrant….
Police forces are under orders to take the former Catalan regional president into custody.
Is he hiding … near la Sagrada Família? At the beach? In the sewers?
Fugitive Catalan separatist leader risks arrest if he keeps to his word on Thursday after seven years in exileThe fugitive Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont has said he will return to Spain on Thursday, risking likely arrest in a move that co…
The separatist politician is vowing to evade police and be present at Thursday’s vote on the region’s presidency.
The former MEP faces immediate arrest if he returns to the country he fled in October 2017 to avoid prison, three days after the failed Catalan declaration of independence.
The parliament of Spain’s Catalonia region is set to elect a new leader this week, although the event may be upstaged by the return of its former leader from self-imposed exile, despite a pending warrant for his arrest.
‘Puigdemont can’t just sneak in through a back door or through the kitchen … Maybe he’ll try to get smuggled in like Cleopatra in a carpet.’
Former Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, says he plans to return to Spain for the inauguration of the new regional head, socialist Salvador Illa, despite facing likely arrest, amid heightened political tensions.
The former president of Catalonia and MEP faces immediate arrest if he returns to the country he fled in October 2017.
The end of the inquest doesn’t mean the Catalan separatist leader is off the hook, however.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the right-wing Partido Popular (EPP), criticised Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez following the Supreme Court’s decision not to apply the new amnesty law to former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, saying he had b…
Spain’s Supreme Court on Monday dealt a blow to former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont’s plans to return to Spain from self-imposed exile in southern France, upholding embezzlement charges against the separatist leader, thus refusing to apply the c…
Carles Puigdemont fled to Belgium in 2017 after orchestrating a failed bid for Catalan independence
Long-standing arrest warrant for Catalan independence leader to remain in effect.
Spain’s Public Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday narrowly ruled in favour of the inclusion of embezzlement offences in the recently passed and highly controversial amnesty law – a decisive step towards allowing former Catalan separatist president Carles…
Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, leader of the right-wing separatist JxCat party, accused Rassemblement National figurehead Marine Le Pen of acting as a “puppet of the Francoists” of Spain’s far-right VOX party, reacting to an interview wher…
Spain’s controversial amnesty law, pardoning Catalan separatists responsible for illegal actions between 2011 and 2023, officially came into force on Tuesday, but the expected return of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont to Spain remains uncert…
A controversial amnesty law passed by the Spanish parliament on Thursday may have to overcome the hurdle of the EU Court of Justice, as well as other legal barriers before Spain’s Supreme Court and Constitutional Court, to which Partido Popular (EPP), …
Ex-regional president Carles Puigdemont among high-profile beneficiaries after MPs approve law by 177 votes to 172Spanish MPs have given their final approval to the deeply divisive amnesty law that the country’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez,…
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s coalition government pushes through controversial legislation.
Spanish conservatives criticise the coalition government and amnesty for Carles Puigdemont, urging for a decisive victory in the European Parliament to prompt early elections in Spain.
A bad night for pro-independence parties, and a very good one for the Socialists, has vindicated Pedro Sánchez’s conciliatory strategyIn a complex political landscape, Sunday’s regional elections in Catalonia duly delivered a finely balanced result. Th…
5 takeaways from the surprise election results in Catalonia, where the separatist dream suffered a setback.
Socialist leader Salvador Illa hails ‘new era’ while Carles Puigdemont vows to try to form minority governmentCatalonia is braced for rounds of tense negotiations on forming a government after the victorious socialists fell well short of an absolute ma…
The leader of Catalonia’s socialist party (PSC) and former health minister, Salvador Illa, won Sunday’s elections, followed by the separatist JxCat formation of former regional president Carles Puigdemont and the left-wing pro-independence ERC party, b…
Pro-independence parties fall short of the 68 seats required to form a regional government in Catalonia for the first time in over a decade.
Socialist party PSC looks like the clear winner in Sunday’s vote, although it will fall some way short of achieving a majoritySeparatist parties are in danger of losing their decade-long hold of power in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region, with the …
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialists are hoping to show Catalonia has turned away from its independence fixation by winning Sunday’s regional vote and defeating separatist leader Carles Puigdemont.
Former Catalan president and leader of the right-wing separatist party JxCat, Carles Puigdemont, confirmed on Tuesday that he would return to Catalonia after the regional elections even if the police arrest him, as he did not entirely rule out a possib…
The separatist politician is running for president from his camp just across the Spanish border.
Spain’s prime minister has announced that he’s thinking of giving up running the country.
The European Parliament’s ban on former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont from taking his seat after the previous EU elections in 2019 “violated the fundamental rights of European voters”, Puigdemont said after the EU’s Advocate-General said on Thurs…
Antonio Tajani refused to admit MEPs-elect Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comín for 8 months after the 2019 European election.
Former Catalan president and leader of the right-wing separatist Together for Catalonia (JxCat), Carles Puigdemont, will quit politics if he does not win the snap regional elections on 12 May, he announced on Tuesday (9 April).
Former Catalan president and separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, in self-imposed exile in Belgium for the past six years, has moved to southern France’s Vallespir region to lead his party’s campaign ahead of the regional snap election on 12 May and pr…
Catalan independence leader more recognizable at ground level than most big names from Brussels.
Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, of the right-wing separatist party Junts per Catalunya (JxCat, Together for Catalonia), will run in the snap regional elections on 12 May on a multi-formation platform which combines his name with that of his…
Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont announced on Thursday (21 March) evening that he will run as head of his party, the separatist Together for Catalonia (JxCat), in the snap elections to be held in Catalonia on 12 May.
Carles Puigdemont, the former leader of the Spanish region of Catalonia who fled the country after a failed secession attempt six years ago, said Thursday that he will return to Spain if he has a viable chance to be restored as regional president foll…
The separatist leader is still wanted by Spanish prosecutors but hopes to be able to go home thanks to the controversial Catalan amnesty bill.
Lower chamber of Spain’s parliament passes contentious legislation on a vote of 178-172.
Venice Commission supports in principle the immunity bill regarding the pro-Catalan independence movement but warns against rushing the legislative process.
Spain’s Supreme Court is investigating former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, who has been on the run since Catalonia’s 2017 secession attempt, in relation to terrorism, a move that puts extra pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who relies o…
The inquest complicates things for PM Sánchez, who has been struggling to muster consensus over the Junts’ amnesty bill.
There is currently no solid evidence to bring former Catalan president and separatist leader Carles Puigdemont to trial for terrorist crimes allegedly committed during the height of the separatist movement in Catalonia, the Deputy Chief Prosecutor of S…
U-turn ‘stupefies’ conservative party, which has condemned amnesty for those involved in Catalan independence pushMembers of Spain’s conservative People’s party say they are “stupefied” after their party leader announced he was in favour of granting a …
The right-wing Partido Popular issued harsh accusations against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday, suggesting some official sectors are trying to influence the judiciary for the future amnesty law to allow former Catalan President Carles Puigdemon…
Pere Aragonès discussed consequences of controversial Spanish legislation, during a wide-ranging interview with POLITICO.
Narrow defeat by 179 votes to 171 is a blow for Pedro Sánchez and highlights fragility of his minority governmentEurope live – latest updatesThe fragility of Spain’s socialist-led minority government has been laid bare after its bill offering a controv…
Junts nationalists abstain in vote on government decrees.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez plans to meet key Catalan separatist leaders Carles Puigdemont and Oriol Junqueras ‘several times’ to ‘normalise relations’ with Catalonia’s pro-independence forces, despite previously and publicly denying such a me…
Spain’s main opposition party, the Partido Popular, has “derailed” Madrid’s proposal to make Catalan an official EU language while it holds the EU presidency until the end of the year, separatist JxCat leader and former Catalan president Carles Puigdem…
‘No concern’ in Brussels over controversial get-out-of-jail-free card for separatists, Félix Bolaños tells POLITICO.
The first meeting between representatives of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont and an ‘international verifier’ who will monitor that the agreements between both parties are respected will take place on Satu…
The separatist leader says he could switch to voting with the conservative camp without progress in talks toward Catalan independence.
The debate between MEPs in Strasbourg on Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez’s controversial amnesty bill for Catalan separatists — attended by Carles Puigdemont himself — saw shouts, boos, applause, and even laughter.
Spanish judge Manuel García Castellón on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to investigate former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, leader of the separatist party Together for Catalonia (JxCat), in connection to the Barcelona airport blockade in 2017. …
We must see the amnesty law as a unique opportunity to counter the rejection that Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont incites in public opinion, writes Juan Fernando López Aguilar.
In promising an amnesty to Catalan separatists in exchange for power, the prime minister has been accused of mounting a coupThe rise of extreme far-right, populist and nativist politicians and parties in recent years and the concomitant decline in publ…
The socialist leader’s pact with separatist activists has returned him to power for now, but it’s a strategy fraught with political uncertaintyAt the end of an investiture debate that had been fraught, savage and bizarre, even by recent standards, the…
Carles Puigdemont fled to Brussels after staging a failed independence bid for Catalonia in 2017
The Socialist leader will form a minority administration with the far-left Sumar coalition.
The Catalan separatist MEPs accuse Spain’s General Council of the Judiciary of violating ‘basic standards of the rule of law.’
Spain’s caretaker prime minister has cut a controversial deal to stay in power. It is in the country’s interest that it succeedsIn recent political memory, few spectacles have been as surprising as the sight of David Cameron striding back into Downing …
Socialists and conservatives are trading blows over a controversial proposal to grant amnesty to Catalan separatists.
The draft legislation could benefit more than 300 people and will give Pedro Sánchez the parliamentary support needed to remain prime minister.
Architect of Catalonia’s illegal referendum of 2017 has signed deal to support Spain’s socialists in return for amnestyDespite the fast-moving, wildly unpredictable and frequently improbable turns Spanish politics has taken of late, very few pundits co…
In a letter, Didier Reynders says there are ‘serious concerns’ about a government pact which would grant amnesty to Catalan separatists.
Catalan separatist plotters will get an amnesty after the pro-independence Junts party agreed to back Pedro Sánchez.
As Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE party and the Catalan separatist formation JxCat, led by former regional president Carles Puigdemont, close in on a deal, Spanish judges have challenged the ‘all-important’ but controversial amne…
A deal to keep Pedro Sánchez in power is “imminent” — all that’s needed is for a former Catalan president to agree.
Demonstrators in Madrid claim amnesty would conflict with upholding the rule of law in Spain.
Three months after a general election, attempts to form a government have so far failed – and hostility between parties is mountingThe July general election in Spain saw a welcome collapse in support for the far-right Vox party – it was evidence, many …
The Council for the Catalan Republic, chaired by separatist leader Carles Puigdemont from his self-imposed exile in Belgium, will hold an internal vote later this month on whether secessionist parties should vote to reinstate Spain’s acting Prime Minis…
