加泰羅尼亞領導人在西班牙出庭
A group of leaders from Spain's Catalonia region appeared in two Madrid courts Thursday to answer charges of rebellion, sedition and embezzlement connected to their push for Catalonia's independence.
Not among them was ousted leader Carles Puigdemont, who has spent this week in Brussels and did not abide by the court's order to appear. He has dismissed the charges as politically motivated and said he would only return to Spain if he receives a guarantee that the legal process will be impartial and fair.
A spokesman for Spain's ruling Popular Party, told the Associated Press Puigdemont's failure to appear in Madrid Thursday for the hearing could trigger the issuance of an arrest warrant and a petition to extradite him.
Prosecutors have filed charges against 14 Catalan leaders, including Puigdemont and his deputy.
Spain's central government moved to take control of Catalonia last week and disbanded the regional parliament in response to an October 1 independence referendum and subsequent declaration of independence by Catalan lawmakers.
Catalonia itself is divided on the secession issue. Those who participated in the referendum opted for independence, but the opposition boycotted the vote, while the Madrid government also declared it illegal.
Last week's move to strip Catalonia of its autonomy also included setting up new elections in the region for December.西班牙加泰羅尼亞地區的一批領導人星期四在馬德里的兩個法庭出庭，應對有關造反、顛覆和挪用公款的指控。這些指控跟他們推動加泰羅尼亞獨立有關聯。
出庭應訴的不包括被罷黜的加泰羅尼亞領導人普伊格蒙特。他這個星期在布魯塞爾，因此沒有遵照法庭的命令出庭應訴。他聲言那些指控都有政治動機，並表示只有在他得到保證，有關司法程序將是不偏不倚和公正的情況下，他纔會返回西班牙。
西班牙執政的人民黨的一位發言人對美聯社說，普伊格蒙特星期四未能在馬德里出庭應訴可能會導致西班牙當局發佈逮捕令和引渡他的請求。檢察官們已經對14名加泰羅尼亞的領導人提出起訴，其中包括普伊格蒙特和他的副手。
爲了應對10月1日的獨立公投和加泰羅尼亞議會隨後宣佈獨立，西班牙中央政府上星期採取措施，控制了加泰羅尼亞，並解散了該地區的議會。
加泰羅尼亞在退出西班牙的問題上也處於分裂狀態。那些參加公投的人要求獨立，但反對派則抵制了那次公投，而馬德里政府則宣佈那次公投是非法的。
馬德里政府上個星期剝奪了加泰羅尼亞的自治權。馬德里的措施還包括開始安排加泰羅尼亞在今年12月舉行新的選舉。
