A Spanish judge has lifted an arrest warrant for exiled Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, paving the way for his return to Spain ahead of a general election in November. Puigdemont fled to Belgium in 2017 after Catalonia's failed independence bid and had been the subject of an arrest warrant. The decision was made after Spain's Constitutional Court backed a move to extend a 2024 amnesty law to include the crime of embezzlement.
Puigdemont was accused of using public funds to organise the 2017 independence referendum, which the courts had said amounted to embezzlement. He hailed the decision as a "very special" moment, saying it marked the end of more than nine years of what he called "political repression". The amnesty law was aimed at easing tensions in the wealthy northeastern region after the failed independence bid triggered Spain's worst political crisis in decades.
Around 400 people involved in the independence push have benefited from the amnesty, but Puigdemont had been excluded until now. Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena made the move after Spain's Constitutional Court backed the extension of the amnesty law. Puigdemont's return to Spain could have significant implications for the country's politics, particularly ahead of the general election.
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed the lifting of the warrant, saying it would allow Catalonia to "look to the future". He added that it would also help Catalan society, which had been demanding an end to the arrest warrant. Sanchez's government had been under pressure from Catalan separatist parties, whose support allowed him to remain in power after a 2023 election produced no clear majority.
However, Puigdemont warned that his campaign for an independent Catalonia was far from over despite his years abroad. He said that in terms of relations between Catalonia and Spain, "nothing has been resolved today". Puigdemont briefly returned to Barcelona in August 2024 after almost seven years in exile, appearing before thousands of supporters and vowing to continue the fight for Catalan independence.
Puigdemont's Junts party later withdrew support for the government, accusing Sanchez of failing to fulfil commitments, including amnesty for its leader. The party's seven seats would have been key for passing housing relief measures proposed by Sanchez's minority government amid nationwide protests. The defeat of the measures led Sanchez to call a snap vote for November 29.
The decision to lift the arrest warrant has sparked mixed reactions, with PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo criticising the amnesty law, calling it a "deception". Puigdemont's return to Spain could have significant implications for the country's politics, particularly ahead of the general election. The lifting of the warrant marks a significant development in the long-standing tensions between Catalonia and Spain.
Key points
- The Spanish court lifted an arrest warrant for Carles Puigdemont, allowing him to return to Spain ahead of a general election.
- Puigdemont was accused of using public funds to organise the 2017 independence referendum, which the courts had said amounted to embezzlement.
- The amnesty law was aimed at easing tensions in the wealthy northeastern region after the failed independence bid triggered Spain's worst political crisis in decades.
