Former Catalan Minister faces extradition
Human rights abuses by Spanish authorities are “unprecedented” and are worsening every day, according to the St Andrews University professor who is the subject of an extradition case.
Clara Ponsati ran the School of Economics and Finance at St Andrews University before leaving there for Catalan politics in July. She escaped into Belgium with former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and three other ministers in October, days after a failed bid for succession.
“In the coming days, weeks and months I will face proceedings in the Sheriff Court to contest Spain’s extradition demand,” Ponsati wrote in the Sunday Herald.
“I face this prospect with a mixture of determination and confidence, but also with deep anxiety and anguish for the fate of my colleagues who lie languishing in Spanish prisons or face being hunted across Europe.
Ms Ponsati said she was disappointed but unsurprised that European governments, including the UK, had remained silent over prosecutions and detentions that Amnesty International has described as “excessive”.
Her remarks came as David Kaye, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, urged Spanish authorities to stop pursuing the charge of rebellion against political figures and protesters in Catalonia.
Image credit: Rob Shenk, Flickr