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Spanish Judge Drops Extradition Requests for 6 Catalans

by Associated Press

   MADRID --

   A Spanish Supreme Court judge has dropped his extradition requests for
   six Catalan separatist politicians wanted on rebellion charges.

   They include Carles Puigdemont, Catalonia's ex-regional president who
   fled to Belgium to avoid arrest and then went to Germany.
   The moves comes after a German court recently ruled Puigdemont couldn't
   be sent back to Spain for rebellion, only for misuse of public funds.
   Judge Pablo Llarena said in a decision published Thursday that he's
   revoking the international arrest warrants against the six, in what the
   Catalan separatist movement was likely to regard as a major victory
   against Spain's central authorities.
   The charges are in connection with the Catalan regional government's
   unauthorized referendum last year on independence from Spain and a
   subsequent unilateral declaration of independence by the
   separatist-controlled regional parliament.