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Article snippet: BRUSSELS — The former president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, and four former members of his regional government turned themselves in to the Belgian police on Sunday morning, a spokesman for the Brussels prosecutor’s office said. The spokesman, Gilles Dejemeppe, said that they would be questioned over the next 24 hours by an investigative judge. They were released late Sunday evening, European news services reported, but were prohibited from leaving Belgium without the investigative judge’s permission. A Spanish judge issued an international arrest warrant on Friday for Mr. Puigdemont and the four former members of his cabinet, who left Catalonia for Brussels. The warrant was sent to the Belgian federal prosecutor. Mr. Puigdemont told RTBF, a Belgian television broadcaster, on Friday that he was “completely available to cooperate” with the Belgian court system, which he called “the real justice.” “At this point there are no guarantees of getting a just and independent trial which could escape the enormous pressure and influence of politics on the judicial powers in Spain,” Mr. Puigdemont said. In total, the Spanish authorities are seeking to prosecute 20 politicians on rebellion and other charges for declaring Catalonia’s independence from Spain last month. Several former members of the Catalan regional government were jailed without bail last week, pending trial. A Belgian judge will be able to question Mr. Puigdemont and the other four detainees before decid... Link to the full article to read more