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Spain Stops Jailed Catalan From Joining European Parliament

Associated Press

   BARCELONA, SPAIN - Spain's Supreme Court denied on Friday a request by
   a Catalan separatist leader to leave jail so he can become a European
   Parliament member after being elected last month.

   The court said that Catalonia's former vice president Oriol Junqueras
   will not be allowed to attend a session on Monday at the Spanish
   Parliament where elected candidates to the European Parliament must
   swear to uphold the Spanish Constitution.

   It ruled that, having sworn the oath, Junqueras would then have to take
   possession of his European Parliament seat on July 2, and that is
   impossible since he is in custody as he is considered a flight risk.

   Ex-Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, Junqueras' old boss, and other
   former members of his government fled Spain to avoid arrest and reside
   in Belgium.

   Junqueras is one of a dozen separatists on trial in Spain for charges
   that include rebellion for their role in the 2017 secession attempt led
   by Puigdemont's regional government in northeastern Catalonia. They
   face years in prison and being banned from holding public office. The
   public hearings of the trial concluded this week. A verdict is expected
   in the coming months.

   In Friday's ruling, the Supreme Court said that if Junqueras was
   allowed to leave Spain to attend the European Parliament, it would mean
   "the loss of judicial control." It added that Brussels "is the place
   where one of fugitives from justice says that he has established the
   seat of the Catalan Republic's government in exile" in reference to
   Puigdemont's campaign to drum up international support for the
   separatists' cause.

   The court said that its decision "does not mean the irreversible loss"
   of Junqueras' right to hold office, saying that once a verdict is
   issued he could then have the possibility of taking possession of his
   seat.

   Junqueras was elected in May 26 elections along with Puigdemont and