Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont spent two nights in Barcelona before appearing at the Arc de Triomphe in Barcelona yesterday. This was explained by the general secretary of the "Together for Catalonia" party. Jordi Turul on the air of radio RAC1, writes the Spanish newspaper "Mundo", quoted by BTA.
According to him, on Tuesday Puigdemont had dinner in the Catalan capital, and on Wednesday he spent the whole day there. Early on Thursday morning, he appeared in front of his supporters, and then disappeared in a matter of minutes under the gaze of thousands of people, journalists and police.
Troull said he accompanied Puigdemont from Tuesday night until yesterday when he crossed the border from Spain into southern France, where they said goodbye. Turul assured that the former Catalan leader then left for the Belgian city of Waterloo, although he did not know if he had already arrived.
Puigdemont's lawyer also confirmed on radio that the politician has left Spain, but did not specify where he is now.
Puigdemont had originally planned to attend the session of the Catalan parliament that confirmed Salvador Illa, an ally of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, as head of the Catalan government. For security reasons, however, instead of moving from the site of his rally to parliament, Puigdemont got into a car and fled.
Turul was jailed from 2018 to 2021 on charges of rioting and anti-state activity in connection with Catalonia's failed 2017 independence referendum, but was pardoned by the Spanish government.
Despite the amnesty law pushed by Sánchez in exchange for the support of "Together for Catalonia", Puigdemont's party, the latter is still wanted by Spanish justice. On July 1, the country's Supreme Court decided that the law does not acquit the separatist leader of some of the crimes committed.