MADRID — It’s being billed as Spain’s “trial of the century”: A dozen politicians and activists are in in the Supreme Court on Tuesday stemming from their involvement in Catalonia’s push for independence in 2017. Separatist lawmakers in the wealthy northeastern region that includes Barcelona declared victory and independence 26 days later, but received no international recognition. The regional president, Carles Puigdemont, fled Spain with several other officials and turned up in Brussels on Oct. 31. He avoided extradition after his arrest in Germany when a court there refused to send him back to Spain to face a charge of rebellion. The trial is the result of a political crisis that is rooted in an earlier Spanish court ruling.

Source: National Post February 12, 2019 10:30 UTC