SUPPORTERS of Clara Ponsati mobbed the 61-year-old as she left Edinburgh Sheriff Court a free woman – anywhere except in Spain.
Among those who greeted her was SNP MSP Sandra White, who said there was a party atmosphere outside the court: “We had the pipes and the placards and it was everything we had hoped for – democracy and justice won.
“It’s not the end for Clara, though. She has her passport back but Interpol, which is quite bureaucratic, has still to remove the red line which means her name would be flagged up if she tried to travel anywhere, but hopefully her lawyer will get that sorted out quickly. It means she’ll be able to travel – not into Spain but closer to it – so she can arrange to see her mother, who’s in her 90s.”
Ponsati’s solicitor, Aamer Anwar, said the warrants were a “monstrous distortion of the truth”, and Spain’s legal strategy had backfired spectacularly in Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Scotland.
He said: “The withdrawal of the warrants is a tremendous victory, but there can be no mood for celebration while nine Catalans are held as political hostages and Clara remains a political exile unable to return home for at least 20 years.
“If [Spanish] Prime Minister [Pedro] Sanchez is not dictated to by the ghost of Franco and is genuinely interested in a political solution, then he must move to release all political prisoners and allow the return of all exiles without condition.”
Elisenda Paluzie, president of the pro-independence Catalan National Assembly (ANC), said Spanish courts were misusing the European Arrest Warrant mechanism in an unprecedented manner.
She told The National: “These withdrawals show that legal instruments are being politically manipulated, that the Spanish courts do not recognise their European equivalent, and that they don’t mind discrediting Spain’s institutions when the goal is to put an end to as peaceful and democratic a political movement as is that of Catalan independence.
“Political prisoners should be released immediately, those in exile should be able to return and the case should be dismissed. Moreover, self-determination should be the principle to follow to solve the political conflict.
“Anything short of it will mean Pedro Sanchez is just a softer version of his predecessor Mariano Rajoy and the Catalan conflict is here to stay.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here