He is still at liberty but for how much longer?<br /><br />For while Carles Puigdemont posed for photos on the streets of Brussels, a Spanish judge was poised to issue a European Arrest Warrant for him on Friday.<br /><br />It has already happened according to the lawyer of the ousted Catalan leader.<br /><br />As he faces a legal battle, his deputy and several cabinet members have already been placed in pre-trial custody in Madrid.<br /><br />In an address broadcast by Catalan television, Puigdemont demanded the release of what he called “the legitimate government of Catalonia” and the end of “political repression”.<br /><br />Catalonia crisis: Puigdemont ORDERS Spain to free Catalan leaders – ‘It’s a BIG MISTAKE’https://t.co/lpmLecU3N1 pic.twitter.com/jUDw9y9LwA— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) 2 novembre 2017<br /><br />Like their absent leader, the nine separatist politicians who faced Spain’s high court are accused of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.<br /><br />Bail was only granted to one of them, Santi Vila, who stepped down before Catalonia’s unilateral declaration of independence.<br /><br />FULL STORY: High Court judge orders eight former members of Catalan government to be held in custody https://t.co/Rfc6iBfCr3 pic.twitter.com/IWZUR2n1iA— El País in English (@elpaisinenglish) 2 novembre 2017<br /><br />As they were driven off to spend the night behind bars, Puigdemont said he would go back to Spain only if given unspecified guarantees by the Spanish government. <br /><br />His flight appears to have cost some support for his cause at home.<br /><br />But pro-independence protesters took to the streets of Barcelona to denounce the incarceration of what they called political prisoners.<br /><br />with Reuters<br />
