A SCOT locked up in a Barcelona prison for more than a month without trial will have to wait to find out if he is to be granted temporary freedom.
A lawyer for William Aitken appeared in a Barcelona court yesterday, where a public prosecutor argued that should the 30-year-old – who has lived in the city for more than four years – abscond, Brexit had made his extradition almost impossible.
Aitken, who is originally from Lanark, has a partner – Fernanda Soler – and a job, and supporting documentation including banking, residential and employment details were all submitted to the court.
He was arrested and detained on February 17, accused of being involved in the second night of demonstrations in support of Pablo Hasel, the Catalan rapper jailed for his lyrics criticising the Spanish monarchy. Aitken was among seven people arrested that night, but the only one who was remanded in custody because he was regarded a “flight risk”.
The prosecutor told the court that when Britain left the EU, the European arrest warrant mechanism ceased to apply would be replaced by a traditional extradition system and international agreements. He argued: “These kinds of extraditions are always requested but never granted.”
However, Alerta Solidaria (Solidarity Alert) which is representing the Scot, retorted: “This is false because the agreement regulating the terms of the UK’s withdrawal from Europe establishes a similar system to that of European arrest warrants.”
David Aranda, Aitken’s lawyer, said the prosecutor “was unable to refute” these arguments, and said an agreement between the UK and EU in December laid down a basis for extraditions between both territories in a similar way to European arrest warrants.
He also queried the prosecutor’s contention that the protests, some of which became full-blown riots, “were very serious” yet he had given no indication which of them should lead to Aitken’s continued incarceration.
The judge is expected to decide on the Scot’s fate within days.
Outside the court, Soler and dozens of Aitken’s friends and supporters gathered with banners and posters calling for his release.
She told The National: “They keep saying that there is a flight risk and I’m tired of that.
“Why do they think that? It’s crazy, he has a life here.”
Sources at the British Consulate told the Catalan News Agency (ANC) it was “assisting a British national following his arrest in Barcelona”.
They added: “We are in touch both with his family and with the Spanish authorities.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here