Catalonia's former rebel president can return to Spain, court rules
- Spain's Supreme Court has ruled the former president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, can return without fear of arrest nearly a decade after going into self-imposed exile having led a failed independence bid.
- The court upheld a decision to lift an arrest warrant for him linked to the referendum his regional government organised in 2017, in defiance of Madrid.
- Direct rule was imposed on the region soon after the vote and Puigdemont fled to Belgium, where he has been based ever since - with a surprise appearance in Barcelona in 2024 prompting a police manhunt.
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- Spain's Supreme Court has ruled the former president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, can return without fear of arrest nearly a decade after going into self-imposed exile having led a failed independence bid.
- The court upheld a decision to lift an arrest warrant for him linked to the referendum his regional government organised in 2017, in defiance of Madrid.
- Direct rule was imposed on the region soon after the vote and Puigdemont fled to Belgium, where he has been based ever since - with a surprise appearance in Barcelona in 2024 prompting a police manhunt.
Sources: BBC News