Puigdemont says "enough" and demands self-criticism from Spanish state over extradition requests

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Mandatory credit: Consell per la Republica Catalana

Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont accused the Spanish state on Monday of “using the judiciary to achieve its political objectives,” during a press conference in Sassari.

Puigdemont made the statements during a press conference after the Court of Appeal of Sassari put on hold the extradition procedure to Spain pending the decision of the European justice.

The former Catalan president has called for self-criticism from the Spanish state for taking the judicial route to resolve a political conflict.

“Enough of following a path that does not give any positive result, a path that clearly hinders a political resolution of a political conflict,” said Puigdemont, who was happy with the outcome of the court hearing on the island of Sardinia. “I was calm because I knew it would end like this,” he went on to say.

“It is high time that the European authorities realise the true dimension of this conflict,” the former Catalan president added.

Puigdemont, who is a member of the European Parliament in Brussels, was arrested in Sardinia on 23 September at Spain’s request to try him on charges of sedition and embezzlement of public funds for organising the referendum on self-determination held in Catalonia in October 2017 and the subsequent unilateral declaration of independence.

SOT, Agostino Angelo Marras, Italian lawyer for Puigdemont (Italian): “As you all definitely know, this afternoon, Sassari’s court of appeals announced an order, indirectly, on behalf of the Spanish supreme court. It was asked to complete the execution of a European arrest warrant for President Puigdemont.”

SOT, Agostino Angelo Marras, Italian lawyer for Puigdemont (Italian): “The arrest warrant foresaw and foresees two criminal hypotheses. The crime of sedition and the crime of corruption. In this moment I obviously won’t be discussing the merits of the crimes that he has been accused of, but I will react to the fact that following this arrest warrant, the border police of the Alghero airport, went ahead with the arrest of President Puigdemont during the last few days.”

SOT, Carles Puigdemont, former Catalan President (Catalan): “Spain has not obtained any of its political objectives, and I say political because it is clear that Spain uses the judiciary, which is a fundamental power in the rule of law, which is a power whose independence determines the quality of a democracy, Spain uses the judiciary serve to achieve political objectives.”

SOT, Carles Puigdemont, Former Catalan President (Catalan): “Therefore, it is time to say to Spain, and I will say it in Italian, ‘basta’, enough of following a path that does not give any positive results, a path that clearly hinders a political resolution of a political conflict. The conflict that exists between Catalonia and Spain, the conflict that consists of denying the Catalans the right to freely decide their future, the right to exercise the right to self-determination.”

SOT, Carles Puigdemont, Former Catalan President (Catalan): “Maybe four years later it was time for someone to do some self-criticism and to remind them, maybe today is the day to do it, because four years ago today I said it to the highest Spanish authority: Not like this. That way you will not achieve any of your objectives and you will only succeed in creating problems and prolonging the resolution of a conflict.”

SOT, Carles Puigdemont, Former Catalan President (Catalan): “As you can imagine, I am very happy today. I was calm because I knew it would end like this. But having said that, I also feel a logical indignation for all those who try to hinder our work, mine in particular as a person who represents the European citizens and I have all the right in the world to do it without being disturbed, I have all the right in the world to defend the people who voted for us with the same conditions as everybody else has. And that it is high time, four years later, that not only the Spanish authorities, but also the European authorities realise the true dimension of this conflict.”

#Puigdemont #CatalanIndependence #Catalunya

Video ID: 20211004-053

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