Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont called on Spain to abandon its attempts to prosecute separatist leaders after leaving a German prison on Friday, urging Madrid to enter into dialogue with them.
Puigdemont, who was granted bail after German judges ruled he could not be extradited on rebellion charges brought by Spain, thanked prison staff as he emerged to cheers and people waving Catalan flags.
“I claim for the immediate release of all my colleagues in Spanish prisons,” he said. “It is a shame for Europe to have political prisoners. Finally the time for dialogue has arrived.”
Puigdemont’s German lawyer, Wolfgang Schomburg, said he would continue the legal battle to have judges also rule out his extradition on the lesser charges of embezzlement.
