Puigdemont announces death of his father

Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has announced the death of his father, Xavier Puigdemont.

"My mother, my sisters, and my brothers will always remember him as a man of goodwill, loyal to the values of grassroots Christianity," Puigdemont tweeted on Wednesday.

Exiled in Belgium since the fall of 2017, Puigdemont is wanted by Spanish authorities to face trial over his role in the failed independence bid.

Puigdemont’s successor as head of the Catalan government, Quim Torra, expressed his condolences via Twitter: "The sadness over the death of his father is even deeper due to the injustice of exile and imposed distance."  

Puigdemont’s former vice president and main rival in the independence camp, Oriol Junqueras, also sent him a message from prison, where he faces a 13-year sentence: "My condolences in such hard moments, Carles! A hug! How unfair that a son can’t say goodbye to his father."