Puigdemont will travel to Germany on the first anniversary of his detention

Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont will travel back to Neumünster, Germany, a year after being arrested and spending 12 nights in prison.

Exiled in Belgium since Spanish authorities ousted him following a declaration of independence, Puigdemont was arrested in the German region of Schleswig-Holstein on March 25, 2017, while returning from a trip to Finland.

With most of his former colleagues in prison, Puigdemont’s arrest was seen as the fall of the most senior pro-independence leader still walking free.

His detention eventually backfired for Spain’s judiciary, as the Schleswig-Holstein court denied extraditing him for the crime of rebellion—the most serious accusation being leveled against pro-independence leaders.

Spain’s Supreme Court eventually withdrew all European Arrest Warrants against Puigdemont and other Catalan politicians abroad.

Press conference on Monday

Puigdemont will give a press conference in front of the Neumünster prison on Monday, along with his lawyers Gonzalo Boye and Jaume Alonso-Cuevillas.

The former president will also attend a dinner organized by German chapters of the pro-independence Catalan National Assembly organization.