Puigdemont v Spain: Catalan president takes case to UN human rights committee

As Carles Puigdemont’s bid to reclaim the presidency of Catalonia ceases for a time, his challenge against the Spanish government has not stopped—if anything, it has accelerated. His legal team has lodged a formal complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Committee over Spain’s crackdown on Catalonia’s push for independence.

“Puigdemont alleges that Spain is guilty of violating its international treaty obligations through the cumulative imposition of disproportionate and unjustified restrictions with the exercise of his political rights,” reads the summary of Puigdemont’s complaint, which invokes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Puigdemont was deposed by the Spanish government last October after declaring the independence of Catalonia, and faces criminal charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds. He ran in a subsequent election from Belgium, where he is currently seeking refuge from Spanish justice, and became the most voted candidate among the pro-independence parties. Yet, Spain’s Constitutional Court made it clear that he could only retake his post if he returned to the country and faced arrest.