Former President of the Generalitat, Carles Puigdemont, was arrested on Thursday in Sardinia by court order. As a Member of the European Parliament, he went to the island to the annual meetings for the dissemination of Catalan culture Adifolk and, on his arrival, he was intercepted by Italian border policemen dressed in civilian clothes at L’Alguer airport. According to the latest news, the magistrate has released the Catalan politician until the Court of Appeal of Sassari took a final decision, but has not given him permission to leave the island.

The arrest resulted from an international arrest warrant issued by the Supreme Court: According to the Supreme Court to the EFE agency, the case against Puigdemont has been dealt with as a crime of sedition. The former President of the Generalitat will be placed at the disposal of the Court of Appeal of Sàsser on Friday, where he will decide whether he is released or extradited. During the 60 days remaining for deliberation, the prisoner of eta has been arrested, as reported by the police.

Former President's lawyer, Gozalo Boye, explained on Twitter that the detention does not conform to the law: The arrest warrant against Puigdemont for the case of October 14, 2019 was revoked. “Spain [of the European Union] informed the Supreme Court, and so stated in the resolution of 30 July, that no country would execute such an order, in the same resolution the Vice-President of the Supreme Court of the European Union specified that, if necessary, a new precautionary measure would have to be sought.”

In this way, the EU court annulled Puigdemont’s immunity on the grounds that there was no risk of being arrested in that case. However, they have recalled that the Spanish Supreme Court, despite the fact that the former president’s orders for resolution were not in force, does have a crime of sedition that has never been rejected against Puigdemont. In addition to showing "respect" for the Italian courts, the Government has issued a statement explaining the reasons for the detention: "An ongoing judicial procedure applies to any citizen of the European Union and has to respond to his actions in the courts of the Union." The Executive has stressed that Puigdemont "must be subject to the action of justice, as any other citizen or citizen", he added.

Support words for Puigdemont

There have been many in Catalonia who were in favour of the lehendakari of the Generalitat. The Josep Costa parliamentarian regretted the attitude of Sánchez’s government: "Spain has just caused an MEP to be detained by another EU Member State. He managed to do so by misleading the Court of Luxembourg, which said that that was not going to happen. The detention will last for a maximum of a few hours, but Spain’s shame will remain for history.” He later explained that, before the EU Court of Justice decides, by law, European judicial bodies would not be able to order the arrest.

The president of the Generalitat and member of ERC, Pere Aragonés, has denounced the judicial repression and persecution against Puigdemont. Oriol junqueras has also spread the ERC message: “There is a single formula to curb the state’s continued repression: amnesty, self-determination and independence. All our support, President.”