Pro-independence MEP Clara Ponsatí detained, again, in return to Catalonia

Pro-independence Junts MEP Clara Ponsatí returned to Catalonia on Monday early morning despite facing an arrest for not appearing in court during her last time in the territory in late March.

In a tweet published by herself, she announced that she arrived in Barcelona without the intention of giving in voluntarily: "While we are here, Catalonia will continue to stand"

Spanish Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena, who leads all investigations related to the 2017 independence referendum deemed illegal by Spain, issued an arrest warrant after she was detained in Barcelona on March 28.

Clara Ponsatí and the other pro-independence MEPs no longer have parliamentary immunity as in early July the European General Court (EGC) ruled to lift it for former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comín. 

Who is Clara Ponsatí?

Clara Ponsatí is a Catalan politician, member of Junts per Catalunya, one of the main parties in favor of independence, and a member of the European Parliament since the last European elections in 2019. 

In the aftermath of the peak of the independence crisis in 2017, Ponsatí, like some other pro-independence politicians, left the country to avoid facing charges from Spanish authorities. Since 2017, she has been living in exile in Scotland and Belgium.