Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont is the target of a new investigation into unrest that occurred after leaders of a failed independence push in 2017 received prison sentences, a Spanish court said Monday.
This announcement comes as Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, is negotiating with Puigdemont's party on an amnesty law for pro-independence activists facing trial, in exchange for his support which is essential if Sanchez is to be returned to power.
In a statement, the high court in Madrid announced that Puigdemont, the former president of the Catalan regional government, and ten other members of the separatist body were the subjects of "the investigation into the actions of the Democratic Tsunami platform", a secretive Catalan protest group.
The offences alleged against Puigdemont -- who, according to the magistrate in charge of the case, had a "leadership" role within the Tsunami group -- "could be classified, in a preliminary way, as terrorism", the court continued.
In October 2019, thousands of activists blockaded the Barcelona airport at the call of the mysterious "Democratic Tsunami" organisation to protest against the sentencing of pro-independence leaders to prison for their role in the 2017 secession attempt.
This organisation had also been responsible for road closures in Catalonia at a time of high tension marked by scenes of urban guerrilla warfare in Barcelona.
According to the national high court, the aim of the group was to "destabilise the State economically and politically and seriously undermine public order through massive social mobilisation".
Puigdemont is already being prosecuted in Spain for his role in the secession attempt, of which he was the main figure.
To avoid prosecution, he left for Belgium six years ago and has never returned to Spain since.
He has since been elected as a member of the European parliament.
The Spanish magistrate will therefore have to ask the EU parliament for the green light to question him.
In a message published on X, formerly Twitter, Puigdemont denounced a "permanent coup" by the judiciary, which the separatists accuse of being an arm of Madrid's "repression" of the pro-independence movement.
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Artificial Intelligence Analysis
on separatist unrest:
Objective:
This article focuses on the new investigation into the unrest that occurred after the leaders of a failed independence push in 2017 received prison sentences in Spain. Current State of the Art and its Limitations:
The unrest that resulted from the prison sentences is being investigated by the Spanish high court in Madrid with the offense of terrorism being preliminarily classified against former Catalan regional government president Puigdemont.
Whats New:
This investigation has come as the Spanish Prime Minister is negotiating with Puigdemonts party on an amnesty law in exchange for his support, which is essential for the Prime Minister to be returned to power. Target Audience and Impact:
The target audience is the Spanish public as this investigation aims to destabilize the state economically and politically and to undermine public order.
Risks Involved:
The risks involve the destabilization of the Spanish state as well as Puigdemont himself, as the offenses alleged against him can be classified as terrorism.
Cost:
The cost of this investigation will vary depending on the resources required to carry it out.
Timeline:
The timeline for this investigation will depend on the resources available to the Spanish high court.
Success Metrics:
Success metrics will depend on the outcome of the investigation.
Score: 8/10
