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Catalan Politicians Appear Before Spanish Court

by Associated Press

   MADRID --

   Ousted Catalan government members and lawmakers began arriving at two
   Spanish courts in Madrid on Thursday to face possible charges of
   rebellion for having declared the region's independence.
   Twenty regional politicians, including sacked regional government
   president Carles Puigdemont, were called to appear after the chief
   prosecutor demanded they be charged with rebellion, sedition and
   embezzlement following the Catalan parliament's declaration of
   secession Oct. 27.
   Spain took the unprecedented step of seizing control of Catalonia
   following the declaration and later sacked the Cabinet, dissolved the
   regional Parliament and called fresh regional elections for Dec. 21.

   Ousted president declines

   Puigdemont, who fled to Belgium with some of his ex-Cabinet members,
   will remain in Belgium and not appear, according to his lawyer, which
   could trigger a warrant for his arrest and an extradition petition.
   The group summoned includes Puigdemont's 13-member former Cabinet and
   six parliamentary board members.
   Puigdemont's No. 2, Oriol Junqueras, was the first to arrive at the
   National Court. He went in accompanied by lawyers, passing by dozens of
   journalists, declining to answer questions.

   At least 20 head to court

   The crimes being investigated are punishable by up to 30 years in
   prison under Spanish law.
   Puigdemont said he and six ex-ministers went to Brussels some days ago
   for "freedom and safety."
   Two of the ex-ministers returned to Spain and were scheduled to be
   among an estimated 15 lawmakers expected to appear. Four ex-ministers
   were to stay with Puigdemont.
   Besides the ex-Cabinet members, six regional parliament members are to
   appear before the Supreme Court in a parallel probe. They include
   former Catalan parliament speaker Carme Forcadell, one of the leading
   figures of the pro-independence movement in Catalonia for many years.
   About two dozen politicians and elected officials from Catalan
   separatist parties gathered at the gates of the Supreme Court in a show
   of support for them.
   Assumptio Lailla, a former lawmaker with Catalonia's Democrats party,
   said she had traveled to Madrid joining around 100 other politicians
   and elected officials to show support to those investigated in the
   rebellion probe.
   "This is an unjust situation in which they are being investigated for
   facilitating democracy," she said. "I don't understand how Europe can
   look away from democracy."
   The supporters greeted some of the lawmakers that are being questioned
   Tuesday at the Supreme Court cheering and shouting: "Freedom, Freedom"
   and "we are not afraid."
   Across the street, half a dozen protesters with Spanish flags were
   stopped by police. They shouted at the Catalan politicians, "cowards"
   and "to jail, to jail."