People who have some interest in Catalan independence
probably know who Carles Puigdemont is.
He is the deposed president of the Generalitat (the Catalan government),
who much to the dismay of Spanish President Rajoy, who deposed him and called
for new elections (although it was not his prerogative to do so), won those
elections. Instead of staying in Spain
when charged with rebellion, together with four of his government deputies, he high-tailed
it for Belgium because he was not assured that he (or they) would have a fair
trial (since the charge of rebellion, substantiated by the preliminary court ruling,
with no known act of violence, would by itself suggest that this is simply the
making of a political trial and that it is not possible that it be fair). His other motive for going to Brussels had to
do with “internationalizing” the independence process and the undemocratic and
illegal Spanish response to the independence movement. In prison he would be allowed to talk to his
wife for ten minutes a day by phone, but barred from communicating directly
with the media. Ensconced in Brussels,
he holds press conferences, gives interviews, writes and publishes articles,
attends university and other forums and debates, and is active in informing the
world about what is happening in Catalonia and ensuring that Spanish repression
remains in the public view.
Not many people know who Anna Gabriel is. She was a deputy in the last Catalan
parliament that was disbanded by Rajoy when he axed the Catalan
government. She is a member of the
political party CUP, which is a left-wing, anti-capitalist party. She is also being charged with rebellion and
she has also decided that she can best serve the cause of Catalan independence
and informing the world about Spanish repression by leaving the country. She is cited to appear before the judge
tomorrow (Wednesday) but she will not appear.
She has gone to Geneva.
If the Spanish court demands her extradition, she will argue
that she would not receive a fair trial in Spain where she is being charged for
her political activities and already condemned in the Spanish press. Switzerland does not extradite people for
political crimes and it is believed that there is little chance that an
extradition order will be presented or that it would be honored. Her lawyers believe that extradition would be
illegal because there is no evidence to suggest that Gabriel has committed any
crime, whereas there is much evidence, on the part of the Spanish government,
the judiciary, and the police, of political persecution.
Gabriel compares Spain with Turkey and says that Spain does
nothing to ensure her safety (or that of anyone who is pro-independence). Many people have been physically attacked,
some, like Gabriel (and Puigdemont, and Mireia Boya, also from the CUP) have
received death threats and yet the Spanish police do nothing to find out who
the perpetrators are and bring them to justice.
On the other hand, they busily charge schoolteachers who held classroom
discussions about what happened on 1 October, and private individuals who have
posted opinions critical of the Spanish government or the Spanish police with
hate crimes.
Gabriel says she has always campaigned peacefully for a
referendum and she criticizes the Spanish government for wanting to stop the
movement for independence with repression rather than political dialogue. She says she decided to go into exile when
she saw that after more than three months, Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Sanchez, and
Jordi Cuixart were still in prison and that everyone in the former government
was under judicial threat.
Gabriel intends to bring to international attention the lack
of judicial impartiality in Spain. Her
attorney is Olivier Peter, a young Swiss who works in the area of human rights and has
presented cases before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg¸
including several recent cases where Spain was found in violation of
international law and condemned (and fined).
She is also planning to work with attorneys and organizations that work
for civil and human rights that are linked to the court. Gabriel herself is an attorney and before her
service as a deputy in the Catalan parliament, was a law professor in
Barcelona.
