Catalan Government proposes a unity List for a Country

Catalonia’s President Carles Puigdemont warned the European Union that “it cannot have an entire government in prison or in exile”. In an interview with Catalan public radio broadcast on Tuesday from Brussels, where Puigdemont and four of his ministers landed last week, he criticized the EU for its “absolute indifference” to the political situation in Catalonia.

“[Spanish president Mariano] Rajoy said his measures would end the problem in Catalonia, and Europe is waiting for that to happen,” Puigdemont said. “We have to show that he is mistaken.”

Puigdemont due to appear in court on November 17

Puigdemont and his ministers spoke for the first time since a Belgian judge released them on Sunday after deciding that it was not necessary that they remain in custody while awaiting a final decision on their extradition. They are to appear in court on November 17.

President Puigdemont accused Spain of “violating human rights by imprisoning our colleagues” and acknowledges that he “might end up in a Spanish prison” too. Yet, he said they will go to “international courts” and warned that Spain “will be embarrassed”.

Eight ministers who stayed in Catalonia were preemptively sent to jail on Thursday last week pending charges of rebellion, sedition, and misappropriation of public funds, among others. Puigdemont is facing the same charges.

He also emphasized his desire to cooperate with the Belgian justice system and underlined that the reason why he and his ministers came to Brussels was that they did not trust the Spanish justice system to offer them a fair trial. “We have gone voluntarily to the Belgian justice system, we are not running from anything.”

President Puigdemont also referred to the snap election called by Spanish president Mariano Rajoy on December 21 after taking over the Catalan government and dissolving the Parliament.

“My priority is that there be a ‘list for a country’ that includes everyone who understands this is about defending democracy and freedom,” he said. That is a list that would include a wider political spectrum than Together for Yes (JxS), the pro-independence coalition that won the 2015 elections but fell short of a majority.