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AFP

Former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont and five other separatist leaders were rescued Thursday from being extradited to Spain after the investigating judge withdrew international arrest warrants against him.

The decision, presented in a car by the Spanish judge Pablo Llarena, implies that the six, residing in Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, can move abroad and do not go abroad. do not expose to be handed over.

the respective orders remain in force, so in case of return, they would be detained.

The Supreme Court Judge ruled after a court in Germany, where Puigdemont is located, recently ruled out the possibility of extraditing him for the serious charge of rebellion, punishable 25 years in prison.

self, Llarena also expressly denied that the former head of independence is delivered solely for embezzlement. This is the other crime that has weighed on him and that has been withheld by the German court, in connection with the costs of the illegal referendum on self-determination of Catalonia on 1 October.

The independence movement quickly criticized the Spanish justice, as he did when the German court announced that he saw no signs of rebellion, a charge involving the use of violence. "We are very satisfied," said Gonzalo Boye, one of Puigdemont's lawyers. 19659003] "We did not think (Llarena) would be defeated on all international stages," he added.

"He knows that his cause is not contracted in democratic systems (…) which makes no sense" The facts are not a crime in the rest of the world. Europe and yes they are in Spain, "he continued speaking of the accusation of rebellion

Nine remain in pre-trial detention

With the decision are lifted the international arrest warrants against Puigdemont and four former members of his government: Toni Comín, Lluís Puig and Meritxell Serret, settled in Belgium, and Clara Ponsatí, resident in Scotland

The fifth is Marta Rovira, leader of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) party , who are suspected of being in Switzerland

All are among the 25 figures of Catalan separatism pursued for their participation in the unsuccessful attempt to separate unilaterally from Catalonia last year.

In the In this case, 13 are accused of rebellion and nine are currently in pre-trial detention, including former Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras, former interior minister Joaquim Forn and former regional parliament speaker Carme Forcadell.

Of the six concerned by Judge Llarena's decision on Thursday, four are accused of rebellion: Puigdemont, Comín, Ponsatí and Rovira. Lluís Puig and Meritxell Serret are only accused of disobedience and embezzlement.

In December, Llarena had already withdrawn international arrest warrants for the first time, to reactivate them at the end of March. An action a little tortuous and conditioned by the rulings of the justice of the other countries, that the independenceism did not stop fustigar.

"Llarena's new international ridicule and Spanish justice: Everyone knows that there is no rebellion," he tweeted a leader of the ERC, Sergi Sabrià

"We welcome this news, but for the moment we have no official confirmation from Spain," said Ponsatí's UK lawyer, Aamer Anwar, on Twitter. "The arrest warrant remains in force, which means that Clara Ponsatí continues her exile," he added.