Spain's constitutional court is expected this week to clear the way for Carles Puigdemont, the exiled former president of Catalonia, to return home after nearly nine years abroad, according to The Guardian.
Puigdemont fled Spain in 2017 to avoid imprisonment for his role in Catalonia's failed independence referendum. Nine colleagues involved in the push faced sentences of up to 13 years, though all were released within three years, The Guardian reports. The court's expected removal of legal obstacles would end years of proceedings that have prevented his return.
The 2017 independence bid remains illegal under Spanish law. Puigdemont's exile began as he faced potential jail time. His departure marked a pivotal moment in Catalan separatism, leaving the region's political landscape fractured between those who pursued the independence agenda and those who did not.
The source indicates that Puigdemont will encounter a Catalonia substantially changed from the region he left nearly a decade ago. The article does not detail what those changes entail, but notes the passage of time has reshaped the independence movement's political standing and composition.
Puigdemont's potential return carries symbolic weight for Catalan separatists who view him as a central figure in their cause. However, the source does not clarify whether his legal status will be fully resolved upon return, whether conditions remain attached to his presence in Catalonia, or what political role he might seek to resume.