Former Catalan separatist leader Puigdemont possible contender for Nobel Peace Prize
Record ID:
1434073
Former Catalan separatist leader Puigdemont possible contender for Nobel Peace Prize
- Title: Former Catalan separatist leader Puigdemont possible contender for Nobel Peace Prize
- Date: 27th September 2019
- Summary: Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and other regional politicians sign a document declaring Catalonia's independence from Spain, but at that time it was unclear if the document would have any legal value. BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - OCTOBER 10, 2017) (REUTERS) PUIGDEMONT WALKING TO DESK, POSING FOR MEDIA THEN SIGNING DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AND WALKING AWAY Puigdemont and other secessionist politicians join thousands of pro-independence demonstrators in Barcelona in a march originally organised to call for the release of grassroots secessionist activists Jordi Cuixart, leader of Omnium Cultural, and Jordi Sanchez, leader of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC). The protest galavanised more supporters as Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced the same day the Spanish government's plan to apply would Article 155 which would impose direct rule on the region, sack Puigdemont's secessionist government and force a snap regional election to prevent Catalan independence, deemed illegal by the Spanish constitution. Barcelona's urban police said 450,000 people attended the march. BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - OCTOBER 21, 2017) (REUTERS) THOUSANDS OF PRO-INDEPENDENCE SUPPORTERS DEMONSTRATING CATALAN REGIONAL DEPUTY LEADER ORIOL JUNQUERAS, PUIGDEMONT, CATALAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER CARME FORCADELL AND FORMER CATALAN REGIONAL LEADER ARTUR MAS CLAPPING MAS CLAPPING/ PUIGDEMONT PUIGDEMONT, FORCADELL, AND MAS CATALAN LEADERS HOLDING SIGNS READING (English): "FREE THE JORDIS" SIGNS READING (English): "FREE THE JORDIS"/ JUNQUERAS AND PUIGDEMONT CROWD GATHERED OUTSIDE CATALAN GOVERNMENT HEADQUARTERS
- Embargoed: 11th October 2019 18:45
- Keywords: Catalonia Carles Puigdemont extradition Spain Catalonia independence vote Germany
- Location: GIRONA, SANT JULIA DE RAMIS, CORNELLA DE TERRI AND BARCELONA, SPAIN/ BRUSSELS, BELGIUM/ NEUMUENSTER AND BERLIN, GERMANY / GRANOLLERS, SPAIN
- City: GIRONA, SANT JULIA DE RAMIS, CORNELLA DE TERRI AND BARCELONA, SPAIN/ BRUSSELS, BELGIUM/ NEUMUENSTER AND BERLIN, GERMANY / GRANOLLERS, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA006AYGQ0CN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY
Catalonia's former separatist leader Carles Puigdemont has been tipped as a potential candidate for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.
The former Catalan regional president, living in self-imposed exile in Belgium, is wanted in Spain for his role in Catalonia's independence drive.
A champion of self-determination for Catalan separatists, he was instrumental in organising a secessionist referendum deemed illegal by Spanish courts and led the wealthy northeastern region when it unilaterally declared independence in 2017.
Puigdemont, 56, and five other former Catalan leaders in self-imposed exile in European countries face arrested if they return to Spain where they face charges of rebellion and a long prison sentence if found guilty.
In July 2018, Spanish courts lifted the European arrest warrants for Puigdemont after a German court ruled that he could be extradited to Spain to face a separate charge of misuse of public funds, but not for the rebellion charge, something that Spain decided not to accept.
From Belgium, Puigdemont ran again for office in the December 2017 Catalan regional elections and was proposed for president by a parliamentary majority, but Spanish courts banned his attempt to assume office from outside the country.
In May Puigdemont was elected to the European Parliament as the leading candidate of Junts per Catalunya (JxCat), his political party, but could not take his seat as Spanish law requires elected candidates to pick up their accreditation in Spain where they must also swear to uphold the constitution. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None