Catalan MP will not return home

Aformer member of Catalonia’s parliament who fled to Switzerland after Madrid blocked the region’s bid to separate from Spain says she will not attend a Spanish court summons over her alleged role in a declaration of independence last year.

Anna Gabriel, a member of the far-left Catalan party CUP, told the Swiss newspaper Le Temps she planned to stay in Switzerland and would not travel to Madrid to face Supreme Court charges which include rebellion and sedition.

“Since I will not have a fair trial at home, I have looked for a country that can protect my rights,” Gabriel told the newspaper in an interview published yesterday. CUP confirmed her comments.

Several prominent members of the former Catalan government have been arrested and released on bail or are awaiting trial on remand after organising an independence referendum on October 1 and later making a unilateral declaration of independence.

A court ruled that the attempt by the wealthy northeastern region to split from Spain was unconstitutional, prompting Madrid to dismiss the Catalan government and take control before calling a new regional election.

Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont fled the country shortly after the independence declaration and remains in self-imposed exile in Brussels with four members of his previous cabinet. All face similar charges as Gabriel for their part in the independence push.

Three Catalan independence leaders – currently on remand after bail applications were denied – have lodged a complaint with the United Nations against their detention.

The Catalan independence drive has taken Spain to the brink of its worst political crisis since the transition to democracy in the mid-1970s and has prompted thousands of companies based in the region to relocate to avoid potential fallout.

Following the regional election in December, pro-independence parties continued to hold a narrow majority in the Catalan parliament, though attempts to reinstate Puigdemont as head while residing abroad have failed.

The central government plans to remain in control of the region until parties can decide on a government. –