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WORLD NEWS Friday 3 November 2017
Spain judge jails Catalan ministers, mulls leader’s arrest

By CIARAN GILES cials into custody at the re-
ARITZ PARRA quest of prosecutors, who
Associated Press also asked Thursday for an
MADRID (AP) — A Spanish international warrant seek-
judge jailed nine former ing Puigdemont’s arrest.
members of Catalonia’s Under Spain’s legal system,
separatist government investigating judges can
Thursday and was delib- have suspects detained
erating a possible interna- while a comprehensive
tional arrest warrant for the probe, sometimes taking
region’s ousted president, months, determines if they
who remained in Belgium should be charged.
while the others appeared Puigdemont surfaced in
in a Madrid court for ques- Belgium on Tuesday with
tioning about their efforts some of his ex-ministers,
to break away from Spain. saying they were seek-
Former President Car- ing “freedom and safety”
les Puigdemont and his there. He and four of the
13-member Cabinet are officials remained in Brus-
being investigated for re- sels on Thursday.
bellion, sedition and em- Asked whether Puigde-
bezzlement stemming from mont would turn himself in if
their pursuit of Catalan the arrest warrant is grant-
independence. The Span- Artur Mas, a former President of Catalonia, walks outside the national court in Madrid, Spain, ed, his lawyer in Belgium,
ish government removed Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017. Ousted Catalan government members and lawmakers began arriving Paul Bekaert, told The As-
them from office on Oct. 27 at two Spanish courts in Madrid on Thursday to face possible charges of rebellion for having de- sociated Press: “Certainly.
and they were summoned clared the region’s independence. Or the police will come get
to appear in Spain’s Na- (AP Photo/Paul White) him.” Bekaert said Puigde-
tional Court on Thursday. taken from the court in po- criticized as an attack on try with more justice, dignity mont intends to cooperate
After the nine Catalan lice vans hours later and ideas.“We won’t give up, and freedom,” she told re- with Belgian police.
Cabinet members who assigned to prisons in the we won’t fail, we will fight porters as tear welled in her Also Thursday, six Catalan
showed up were ques- Madrid area. till the end,” Marta Rovira, eyes.The Spanish govern- lawmakers appeared for a
tioned, a judge sent eight Thousands of protesters an increasingly prominent ment said it does not com- parallel session in the Span-
of them to jail without took to the streets of Cata- politician in Catalonia’s ment on judges’ decisions ish Supreme Court. They
bail. One was ordered lan towns to condemn the republican-left ERC party, in deference to the sepa- were given a week to pre-
held in lieu of 50,000 euros pre-charge detentions, said. ration of powers.Investiga- pare their defenses and in-
($58,300) in bail. The seven which fellow separatist poli- “We have all the right in tive magistrate Carmen structed to return for ques-
men and two women were ticians and elected officials the world to live in a coun- Lamela ordered the offi- tioning on Nov. 9.q

Lawyer: European Union blocks
extradition of Egyptian hijacker

By M. HADJICOSTIS tion procedures until the
Associated Press ECHR comes down with its
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — ruling.
The European Court of Hu- The ECHR decision came
man Rights has blocked a few hours after Cyprus’
Cypriot authorities from Supreme Court rejected
extraditing an Egyptian hi- Mustafa’s appeal against
jacker to his homeland until his extradition, ruling that
it can examine the case, there are no legal reasons
the Cyprus Justice Ministry for the man not to return to
and the hijacker’s lawyer his homeland to face jus-
said Thursday. tice.Mustafa, 60, hijacked
Lawyer Nicoletta Chara- a domestic EgyptAir flight
lambidou told The Associat- in March 2016 using a fake
ed Press that the European suicide belt and diverted it
court stayed the extradi- to Cyprus. A six-hour stand-
tion of Seif Eddin Mustafa off with Cypriot authorities
so it could rule on whether on the tarmac of Cyprus’
doing so would violate one Larnaca airport ended
of its articles prohibiting peacefully after all 72 pas-
the return of individuals to sengers and crew were
countries where they may released and Mustafa was
face torture or inhuman arrested.In a unanimous
treatment.Charalambidou decision, the five-judge Cy-
had applied to the ECHR priot panel upheld a lower
for the temporary halt to court ruling which turned
Mustafa’s extradition. down Mustafa’s defense
The Justice Ministry said in a that he may be tortured by
statement that it has issued Egyptian authorities or be
instructions for the immedi- subjected to an unfair trial
ate suspension of extradi- if he’s returned. q