The ousted president of Catalonia’s regional government, Carles Puigdemont, appears to have conceded defeat in the political struggle for independence from Spain, according to text messages obtained by a Spanish TV channel on Wednesday.
“The Moncloa (the office of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy) has triumphed,” reads one of the messages allegedly sent to one of his former ministers, which was obtained by Telecinco.
The broadcaster said Puigdemont, who has been in Belgium since October avoiding arrest on sedition charges, sent the messages on Tuesday to another exiled pro-independence politician, Toni Comín.
Gran exclusiva| Los mensajes de Puigdemont a Comín: "Esto se ha terminado" #CandidatoPuigdemontAR https://t.co/RzcsYyxCLn pic.twitter.com/vWSOSVoWsK
— El programa de AR (@elprogramadear) January 31, 2018
“I suppose it is clear to you that this is over,” reads another text from the former Catalan president, adding that he hopes it is true because then “everyone can get out of jail” — a reference to other leaders of his secessionist government who were jailed in Spain.
According to Telecinco, cameras caught the messages on Comín’s cell phone during an event in Leuven in which Puigdemont was expected to participate. Puigdemont and Comín neither confirmed nor denied the content of the exchange, but both condemned the violation of privacy.
“The revelation of secrets (surreptitiously obtaining conversations from third parties) is a crime in Spain and Belgium,” tweeted Comín.
1. La revelació de secrets (obtenir subreptíciament les converses de tercers) és delicte a Espanya i a Bèlgica, mereixedor per tant de les pertinents accions legals. A banda que qualsevol missatge tret del seu context perd sempre el seu significat.
— Toni Comín (@toni_comin) January 31, 2018
Puigdemont, whose supporters had hoped he would be inaugurated for another term as regional president this week, until Tuesday’s session was postponed, also reacted on Twitter: “I am a journalist and I have always understood that there are limits, such as privacy, which should never be violated. I am human and there are times that I also doubt.”
“We continue!” he concluded.
Sóc periodista i sempre he entès que hi ha límits, com la privacitat, que mai s’han de violar. Sóc humà i hi ha moments que també jo dubto. També sóc el President i no m’arronsaré ni em faré enrere, per respecte, agraïment i compromís amb els ciutadans i el país. Seguim!
— Carles Puigdemont
(@KRLS) January 31, 2018
(@KRLS)