Puigdemont welcomes Spain's amnesty but warns it is not the solution for Catalonia
The Catalan pro-independence leader, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Waterloo for nine years, hailed the Supreme Court's move to lift his arrest warrant over alleged embezzlement linked to the 'procés'.
Carles Puigdemont, the former president of Catalonia, welcomed the Spanish amnesty that allows him to return to his homeland after nine years in hiding but cautioned that the amnesty itself isn't the answer to the region's independence movement. Speaking at a press conference in Belgium, Puigdemont stated that the amnesty doesn't resolve relations between Catalonia and Spain.
He criticized the legal proceedings he faced in Spain, calling them an "improper use of judicial powers" and likening them to authoritarian regimes. Puigdemont fled Spain following Catalonia's unilateral declaration of independence and the activation of Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution. The amnesty law passed in 2024 provided the opportunity for his return.
However, he still faced the risk of arrest for embezzlement until the Supreme Court judge lifted the warrant after the Constitutional Court endorsed the amnesty for this specific charge. Puigdemont, who plans to return to Spain when he decides, expressed that his exile was to advocate for Catalan citizens under threat from Article 155.
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