Ex Catalan leader lambasts Spain while fighting extradition
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has criticized Spain in his first online comment after being released from custody in Belgium, where he's fighting extradition to Spain for allegedly plotting a rebellion in Catalonia.
Puigdemont posted Monday on his Twitter account: "Free and without bail." He says "our thoughts are with the comrades unjustly jailed by a state that strays far from democratic practices."
A Brussels judge released Puigdemont and four close separatist allies Sunday on condition they stay in Belgium and attend court sessions.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The five fled to Belgium after Spanish authorities sacked them on Oct. 28 for seeking secession for Catalonia. Nine other deposed Cabinet members in the same rebellion case were sent to jail in Madrid, eight of them without bail, while the judge's investigation continues.