Belgium demands Spain reveal information about prisons and independence process

The Belgian justice requested information from the Spanish National Court about the case against deposed Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and his ministers before deciding whether to accept or not an extradition order from Madrid.

Among the information requested are elements of the Spanish penitentiary system, such as the internal regime of prisons, and where Catalan officials would end up if handed over to Spanish authorities.

The Spanish Home Affairs Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido confirmed on Thursday that all details requested by the Belgian judiciary have already been sent. He stressed that Spain is a state where the rule of law prevails and nobody "will lecture" Spain on the matter.

Eight ministers in jail

There are currently eight Catalan ministers in jail, accused of rebellion and sedition, among other crimes. After the Spanish government suspended Catalonia's self-rule following a declaration of independence, Puigdemont and four other ministers travelled to Belgium alleging they did not trust the Spanish justice system to offer them a fair trial.

According to the sources, Belgian law has demanded that Spain disclose milestones of the independence process, which resolutions approved by the Catalan government violate the law or what offences they would have allegedly committed.

Decision to be made in the following days

Sources from the Federal Prosecutor's Office of Belgium have explained that the judge's decision will not be made public, necessarily, on that day, since it may be deliberated over several days.