European arrest warrant system 'not meant to be used tactically,' says trials expert

Fair Trials is a human rights group dedicated to fighting for equal rights when it comes to justice. As it says in their vision, they aim for “a world where every person’s right to a fair trial is respected.” Catalan News spoke with its regional director in Europe, Ralph Bunche, to find out the organization’s stance on the proceedings against pro-independence leaders being prosecuted in Spain.

Puigdemont has faced two different European Arrest Warrants. The first one was withdrawn when he was still in Belgium. A second one was recently used to detain him in Germany. In the article, you say that his arrest challenges the principles of the extradition mechanism to the very core. Why?

What we’re concerned about in this case is that the case went before a Belgian court and withdrawn because the Spanish criminal justice authorities that they wouldn’t get the decision they wanted. From all appearances, they seem to have decided that it would get a better decision in Germany. That challenges the principles of the European arrest warrant system, which is not meant to be used tactically like this. It’s meant to be used as a normal judicial process, respecting the courts of each member state. For us, we question why the Belgian courts were not given the opportunity to decide on the case.