STRASBOURG, France - Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont arrived for his first session as a member of the European Parliament on Monday despite facing an arrest warrant against him in Spain. The former Catalan president and new EU legislator is bent on using the parliament to continue his political fight for an a independent Catalonia breaking away from Spain. And Puigdemont used his arrival to demand the immediate release from a Spanish jail of another Catalan leader who was elected to the European Parliament, former Catalonia vice-president Oriol Junqueras. Puigdemont arrived together with fellow EU legislator and former Catalan minister Toni Comín. They fled in exile to Belgium after the attempt failed and were elected to the European Parliament in May as representatives of Catalan separatist parties from Spain.

Source: thestar January 13, 2020 13:18 UTC