Catalan separatist leader arrested at Danish border

Carles Puigdemont had just crossed into Germany when detained

Mar 26, 2018

Two months after he visited Denmark to take part in a debate event at the University of Copenhagen, the Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont has been arrested at the Danish-German border by the German authorities.

Puigdemont, who had been in Finland over the weekend, was detained by German police as he tried to enter Germany through Denmark.

Puigdemont was on his way back to Belgium – where he has remained in exile after the Spanish authorities issued a warrant for his arrest last October in the wake of Catalonia’s vote for independence – which Spain declared to be illegal.

Did Pape know?
The arrest has prompted the Danish left-wing party Enhedslisten (EL) to demand that the justice minister, Søren Pape Poulsen, unveil whether the government has had any knowledge of Spanish operatives working in Denmark.

“He was arrested just south of the Danish border and there have been reports it was the result of a Spanish intel tip. That raises the question whether Spanish agents have operated in Denmark and if the Danish authorities were aware of this,” Pelle Dragsted, a spokesperson for EL, told TV2 News.

Meanwhile, the Germans have 60 days to make up their minds whether to deliver Puigdemont to the Spanish authorities and, if so, under what conditions.

Danish torture punch
The UN Human Rights Council has approved a Danish proposal that focuses on how corruption in the justice system and police can increase the risk of torture. Apparently, it is the first time that the UN member countries will recognise this connection. Moreover, experts from across the EU have congregated in Copenhagen to discuss the fight against torture in Europe.

Lars Løkke laments
PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen sent his condolences to French President Emmanuel Macron and the French people following the terror attack in Trebes on Friday. Rasmussen said the attack filled him “with anger and sorrow”, particularly since France has had to endure so much over recent years. Four people were killed during the terror hostage situation, before French police stormed the supermarket they were being held in and killed the hostage-taker.