Belgian judge releases Puigdemont and his ministers

The judge is to decide within the next 15 days whether to accept the extradition petition from Spain

Deposed Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and his four ministers who are also in Brussels were released on Sunday at midnight after a Belgian judge decided that it was not necessary that they remanded in custody.

However, he has prohibited them to leave the country without his consent, he required them to communicate the address of a real residence, and demanded them to attend in person all court hearings and to comply all summons made by judicial or police authorities, according to a press release by the prosecutor’s office.

Puigdemont and his ministers — Toni Comín, Clara Ponsatí, Meritxell Serret and Lluís Puig — voluntarily presented themselves in a police station in the morning, following the European arrest warrant issued by the Spanish prosecutor against them.

Whether Puigdemont and his ministers end up being extradited to Spain or not, the whole process could take up to two months, or even 90 days in exceptional situations. The timing could have a big influence on the political situation in Catalonia, as elections will be held on December 21. The Spanish government dismissed the Catalan executive, dissolved the Parliament and called fresh polls.

The judge is to decide within the next 15 days whether to accept the extradition petition from the Spanish judiciary. If he does so, Puigdemont and his ministers could appeal it, and a court will make a decision no later than 15 days. Ultimately, Catalan politicians could bring the latter’s decision to another court, which would have 30 months to decide.

Ministers and civil society leaders in jail

In Spain, eight Catalan ministers remain in jail since Thursday last week, pending possible charges over the October 27 declaration of independence. Their lawyers are to file a complaint about the “unjustifiably vexatious” abused by police officers against their clients, such as ordering them to strip naked, playing the Spanish anthem on a loop, and handcuffing their hands behind their back.

Pro-independence civil society leaders Jordi Sánchez and Jordi Cuixart are being held in custody since October 17 for their role in the independence referendum and the protests on the run-up to the vote.

Catalon News

* 06 November 2017 12:33 AM byACN | Brussels :
http://www.catalannews.com/politics/item/belgian-judge-releases-puigdemont-and-his-ministers

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 Dismissed Catalan officials speak out against Spanish justice system after being released in Brussels

“Our thoughts are with our colleagues,” said Puigdemont on Twitter

Carles Puigdemont and three members of his dismissed government have taken to Twitter, having been released without bail in Brussels, in order to condemn Spain’s legal proceedings.

“Released and without bail,” said the deposed Catalan president via his private Twitter account. “Our thoughts are with our colleagues unjustly imprisoned by a state whose behaviour is far from democratic.”

Comparisons were made between both Spain’s and Belgium’s justice systems, with the latter being the more favourable.

“In Belgium they release us without bail, while in Spain we would be in prison,” said Meritxell Serret, the former agriculture minister, who sought refuge in Brussels alongside Puigdemont and other members of the dissolved government.

“In Spain we would be in prison”

Accusations against 8 Catalan teachers for being pro-Catalan and anti-Spanish were also condemned by the deposed education minister Clara Ponsanti. “Freedom of expression is also education,” she said on the social media platform. “We do not tolerate the judicial harassment of teachers. We are not afraid.”

Toni Comin, the ousted Catalan health minister, also had his say in cyberspace. “Released without bail,” he wrote on Twitter. “We demand that our injustly imprisoned colleagues in Spain receive the same guarantees as us. Our thoughts are with them.”
Puigdemont and four members of his dismissed government voluntarily turned themselves in on Sunday, and appeared before a Belgian judge, after a European arrest warrant was issued by the Spanish prosecutor.

They were released on Sunday at midnight after the judge ruled it would not be necessary they remain in custody. They are not, however, allowed to leave Belgium without the judge’s consent.

Catalon News
06 November 2017 03:03 PM byACN | Brussels

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 More roads blocked in Catalonia to protest imprisonment of officials

Train delays at peak hours begin a week of actions.

Protests against the imprisonment of eight deposed Catalan ministers and two civil pro-independence leaders continued on Monday. At least three major roads were blocked in the country, including the N-340, which links Barcelona with the southern border of Catalonia. The road was blocked for an hour during morning rush hour, which caused several kilometers of traffic jams in both directions. The father of jailed foreign minister, Raül Romeva, took part in the action. Three train lines in Barcelona’s metropolitan network also suffered delays after protesters left tires and pallets on the rails.

The actions followed several other protests over the past few days. When the judge decided to jail eight deposed ministers on Thursday, citizens immediately responded by demonstrating in the central squares of towns all over Catalonia on Thursday and Friday nights, by protesting by banging on pots and pans each evening, and by putting up posters in public spaces on Sunday.

Even more protests are expected later this week. On Wednesday a minor trade union and the main pro-independence civil organizations have called a general strike. The last one was on October 3 to reject police violence during the independence referendum two days before. The protests to demand the release of the officials jailed will culminate this Saturday, November 11, with a demonstration in Barcelona, which is expected to be massive.

Catalan News
06 November 2017 12:41 PM byACN | Barcelona

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 Various organizations denounce assault by far-right Spanish nationalist group

Deposed vice president Oriol Junqueras publishes op-ed from prison on Madrid condemning the violence.

A far right group assaulted a 29-year old man this weekend in the town of Mataró following a demonstration for the unity of Spain. The attack has elicited many responses, including a protest with thousands of people, outcry from several political and civic groups – even an article written from prison by deposed Catalan vice president, Oriol Junqueras.

The march in support of the unity of Spain took place on Saturday afternoon and the attack, according to Police sources, was registered at about a 7:45pm. This was when 15 to 20 people assaulted a 29-year old individual who was just then leaving his house. The victim was allegedly struck and punched in the face several times. Taken to the Mataró Hospital, the individual has so far not filed a formal complaint yet.

A protest of 2,000 denounces fascism

In response, a 2,000-strong protest against the attacks was called immediately afterwards, on Sunday evening. Organized by the Defense Committee of the Republic in Mataró (CDR), it denounced the fascist aggressions as well as what they see as tolerance for these acts from the central government. The demonstrators also cut off traffic for half an hour.

The mayor of Mataró, socialist David Bote, also expressed his anger through social network. “I strongly condemn the assault and any type of violence,” wrote Bote to his Twitter profile. The assault also elicited comments from the leaders from the conservative People’s Party (PP) and far-right anti-immigration Plataforma per Catalunya (PxC), José Manuel López and Mònica Lora, who headed the march on Saturday after which the incident occurred. López (PP) stated that “violence is never justifiable” and hopes that the perpetrators be harshly punished.

Despite a graphic video of the attack circulating on social media, showing the attackers draped with Spanish flags, Lora (PxC) focused on the timing of the event. “Proud of the demonstration,” she wrote, clarifying that “there was no aggression” in the march, but instead simply in the town of Mataró. This, she wrote, she “condemns.” Lora ends by writing “enough manipulation.”

“We’ve already shown that in Catalonia one million people can demonstrate festively without vandalizing a single trash can”

Oriol Junqueras accuses the PSC of “complicity” and “silence” on the matter
Yet, simple statements after the fact issued by political parties aren’t enough to curb the violence, according to deposed vice president of the Catalan government Oriol Junqueras.The dismissed minister denounced the assault as well as the general reaction from political parties in an op-ed article,written from the Madrid Estremera prison where he’s currently held. The article was published in the Nació Digital and Público newspapers.

In his piece, Junqueras demands that the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) condemn this extreme violence seen in the streets. What’s more, the deposed official, previously also the Minister of Economy, asked the readers why the Socialist Party “repeatedly encourages participation in mobilizations where violent aggression occurs.” “How can it not speak and protect, through silence and complicity, this violence?” he asks.

As per the assailants themselves, Junqueras criticizes that if you’re “beaten” by a far right group “in defense of Spain’s unity,” that ultimately “nothing happens” to the assailants. The dismissed Catalan vice president ends his article with a call to the Catalan people. He asks them to uphold the values of respecting the fundamental rights of others, coexistence, and the peaceful expression of one’s ideas, “whatever they may be.” “We’ve already shown that in Catalonia one million people can demonstrate festively without vandalizing a single trash can. Let everyone take this as an example, please,” he concludes.

Political parties demand “more force” from institutions

Also condemning the aggression were two political entities, green left alliance ICV-EUiA and Catalunya en Comú coalition in Mataró. The two “strongly” denounced the assault, as well as demanding more of a reaction from political and social forces. In a statement, the two political groups rejected the events and urged the town to “open an in depth debate regarding the causes behind this type of event.” The two groups additionally criticize the current context of “judicialization” of politics which “unfortunately favors the emergence of these groups of a violent and fascist nature,” they wrote.

The two groups additionally point out, in their statement, that this attack “is not an isolated event,” which is why they demand “more force” from other institutions to suppress political groups that espouse a fascist ideology. Their statement also denounces the fact that racist dialogue has become “socially normalized.” Inasmuch, they claim that messages spread by parties like PxC and PP “have very negative effects on the coexistence and cohesion” of Mataró.

Lack of condemnation equals “giving implicit support”

Civil society group the Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Mataró (FAVM) issued a statement on Monday regarding the assaults. The entity also called on institutions and political parties to publicly reject this kind of behavior. Indeed, they state that anyone who does not condemn the actions will be “giving implicit support” to the assaults, explained FAVM president Juan Sánchez.

Catalan News

* 06 November 2017 02:51 PM byACN | Barcelona :
http://www.catalannews.com/society-science/item/various-organizations-denounce-assault-by-far-right-spanish-nationalist-group

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