Puigdemont's terrorism case elevated to Supreme Court

Spain's National Court has sent its investigation of the anonymous protest group Tsunami Democràtic to the Supreme Court. 

Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont is implicated in the case, along with Esquerra Republicana (ERC) general secretary Marta Rovira. 

The National Court has been investigating the Tsunami Democràtic case for years and, in early November, it added the high-profile pro-independence politicians to the case. 

Operating through instant messaging application Telegram, Tsunami Democràtic organized protests such as the blockade of the AP-7 highway near France and the attempt to shut down the Barcelona airport after the sentencing of the referendum organizers in 2019. 

Magistrates believe that these events may constitute a potential crime of terrorism. 

Puigdemont and Rovira, both living in exile since the peak of the independence crisis in 2017, are being investigated along with ten others, including ERC MP Rubén Wagensberg. 

The magistrate who sent the case to the Supreme Court says that to clarify the facts of the case, Puigdemont and Wagensberg must be questioned, and their diplomatic immunity means the case must be elevated. 

The letter assures that Puigdemont would have played a leading role in the organization of Tsunami Democràtic.

The judge also indicates the importance of the group's attempts to shut down activity in the airport and the serious consequences it could have had for the safety of national and international air traffic.

For National Court magistrate García Castellón, it is necessary to investigate whether the protest at the airport could have played a part in the death of a French tourist in the facility that day. The tourist died after suffering a heart attack.

The magistrate also points out that performing such an action in an important space such as the Barcelona airport is illegal.

Puigdemont: judges have 'clear political agenda'

Carles Puigdemont accused the Spanish judges involved in the case of having "a clear political agenda" and working aligned to a "political calendar," in response to the case being elevated to the Supreme Court.

For the Junts leader, justice in Spain "is one of the worst in the European Union." Puigdemont expanded on his opinion, saying that the judiciary in Spain "show no interest in being independent."

"We have been like this for six years, they see rebels where there are none, they see seditionists where there are none, they see terrorists where there are none," the former Catalan president remarked in Strasbourg, where he is attending the European Parliament plenary session as a Junts MEP. 

"It's nothing we didn't expect," he said, assuring that he does not fear a terrorism case.