Spain to try Catalan separatist leaders for rebellion
(VOVWORLD) - Twenty-five Catalan leaders will be tried for rebellion, embezzlement or disobeying the state, Spain’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday, in a sharp escalation of legal action against separatists in the northeastern region.
Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont (Photo: AFP/ VNA)
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One of the leaders facing up to 25 years in prison if convicted, Marta Rovira, earlier said she had already fled Spain, joining five others in exile. On Friday evening, Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena ordered an international arrest warrant for all six.
Catalonia has been in political limbo since Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy took over its regional government after it unilaterally declared independence following the October plebiscite. Llarena said on Friday 13 leaders, including Rovira and former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont who is already in exile in Brussels, will be tried for rebellion.