Deposed Catalan leader 'not seeking asylum in Belgium'

By Vasco Cotovio and Angela Dewan, CNN

Updated 0512 GMT (1312 HKT) November 1, 2017

Barcelona, Spain (CNN)Catalonia's deposed leader Carles Puigdemont said he was not in Brussels to apply for political asylum but had traveled to the Belgian capital for "safety" after Spain filed charges of rebellion against him.

In his first public remarks since criminal charges were announced over his drive for Catalan independence, Puigdemont condemned the "violence" and "oppression" of Madrid. He continued to insist his ousted administration was the "legitimate Catalan government."

Puigdemont told reporters in Brussels that his party would participate in elections in Catalonia on December 21, called by the Spanish government after it dissolved his administration in Barcelona last week.

Deposed Catalan President Carles Puigdemont in Brussels on Tuesday.

"I am not here to demand political asylum. I am here in Brussels as the capital of Europe," he told reporters at the Belgian press club, alongside other members of his deposed government. "I'm here in order to act with freedom and safety."

Despite the defiant rhetoric, it was clear that Puigdemont and his allies are on the back foot in the month-long standoff with Madrid, which began when Catalonia pressed ahead with a disputed independence referendum on October 1 and came to a head when the Catalan parliament voted for a unilateral declaration independence last Friday.

The Spanish High Court has accepted a complaint against Puigdemont, who is expected to return to Madrid by Thursday when he and other members of his cabinet will face court.

Bail was set at more than $7.2 million (6.2 million euros), which the accused will have three days to deposit.

Thousands of civil servants have returned to work in Barcelona under the authority of the Spanish government, after it imposed direct rule in the wake the independence declaration. The leadership of the secession movement is fractured, with key figures out of the country.

Puigdemont appeared to concede the political reality, warning his supporters of an uphill battle ahead. "To the people of Catalonia, I ask them to be ready for a very long path. We are facing a state that only understands the reason of force," he said.