BRUSSELS, January 2. /TASS/. A Belgian court has suspended the arrest warrant against former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, citing his immunity as a European lawmaker, the RTBF TV channel reported.
Puigdemont confirmed the information on Twitter. "Belgian justice recognizes our immunity and decides to suspend the arrest and extradition warrant! But now we are still waiting for the release of Junqueras, who has the same immunity as us. Spain must act in the same way as Belgium has done and respect the law," his tweet reads.
Catalonia crisis
On October 1, 2017, a referendum on seceding from Spain took place in Catalonia. A total of 90.18% of the voters said "yes" to the region’s independence. Madrid stated the referendum was illegal and refused to recognize its results. However, on October 27, 2017, Catalonia’s parliament passed a declaration of independence. The Spanish Senate, in turn, approved the government’s request for activating Article 155 of the country’s Constitution, which allows Madrid to suspend Catalonia's autonomy. The referendum’s organizers were charged with high treason. Puigdemont and former Catalan cabinet member Toni Comin fled to Belgium, while former Catalan Vice President Oriol Junqueras was arrested.
In May 2019, the three were elected members of the European Parliament. On December 19, the European Court of Justice ruled that Junqueras had immunity as a European lawmaker, paving the way for similar decisions on Puigdemont and Comin.