Former CUP MP hopes her independence push case will be 'shelved or sent to Barcelona'

Former CUP MP Anna Gabriel appeared before the Spanish Supreme Court on Wednesday morning in relation to her open disobedience case for her role in the 2017 independence push. 

The politician gave statements to judge Pablo Llarena and hopes the case "is shelved or sent to Barcelona," she told media outlets after appearing in court in Madrid. The far-left politician spoke for less than an hour, leaving the tribunal quite emotional. 

"My principles remain the same," she shared before thanking those who gave her support against the repression that "causes pain."  

The former CUP MP went into exile in Switzerland a few months after the fallout of the independence crisis in autumn of 2017 and had spent years studying a Ph.D. in Switzerland, before making an unexpected return in July.

"We should have never seen the judicialization of people’s legitimate desire," she said, recalling the individuals linked to the pro-independence movement who are still "in exile, fined, threatened, or chased," Gabriel added. 

CUP spokesperson Maria Sirvent assured the media that Anna Gabriel will continue to reside in Switzerland where she has "professional and political commitments."  

Anna Gabriel was only charged with disobedience, unlike other former MPs and officials who were convicted of sedition in the Catalan trial. Therefore no international arrest warrant was ever put out for her, as her charges do not imply any years in prison.