Case against formerly exiled Catalan leader over 2017 referendum shelved

The Barcelona Provincial Court has dropped the case against former far-left CUP MP Anna Gabriel for her role in the 2017 independence referendum.

Gabriel was charged with disobedience for the October 1, 2017 independence referendum, which was deemed illegal by Spain, and the subsequent unilateral declaration of independence. 

In July 2022, after more than four years of exile in Switzerland, Gabriel returned to Spain to testify in court and was immediately released because the alleged offense did not involve imprisonment. She then returned to Switzerland, where she currently resides.

The court's decision to shelve the case follows the prosecution's and defense's criteria for dropping the case and after far-right Vox, acting as plaintiff, failed to file an indictment in time.

"It is a bittersweet feeling. The repression against many people in the country is still very much alive," Gabriel said on X after the court's announcement.