German court turns down prison request for Puigdemont

The German court overseeing Carles Puigdemont’s extradition case has again turned down the prosecutor’s request that he be kept in pretrial prison while his European Arrest Warrant issued by Spain is decided. The general prosecutor in Schleswig-Holstein once again appealed to the court to jail the Catalan president, due to “an increased risk of flight.” The new petition, argues the prosecutor, comes after receiving “new information” on the case from the Spanish authorities. Yet the high court in Schleswig-Holstein sees no such risk.

The general prosecutor also announced on Tuesday that, following the arrival of these new documents, which include “videos,” it is “preparing” an extradition request for the Catalan president. The prosecutor claims that the Spanish crime of rebellion could not only be the equivalent to “high treason” in Germany, but also “breach of the public peace.” The next step is for the prosecutor to have a final say on the issue, and then for the judges to decide on whether to extradite Puigdemont.

In Tuesday’s request, the prosecutor says that the videos shared by the Spanish authorities show “violence against the Spanish police” during the October 1, 2017 referendum. “The riots were to such an extent that the prosecutor assumes that he is extraditable on the charge of rebellion,” it said in a press release.

The Schleswig-Holstein court maintains it still sees no reason to extradite Puigdemont for rebellion despite new information sent by Spain, although an official decision has yet to be made. Last April, when Puigdemont was released on bond, the court rejected the charges of rebellion alleging lack of violence.