Read in Catalan

I read with astonishment the spin that the Spanish judiciary and media are putting on the Spanish government's decision to limit its involvement in the defence of Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena in the case brought against him in Belgium. Although this government withdrawal from the case is only partial, the spirit of the decision taken by Spain's justice ministry is aimed at resolving something obvious to anyone with half a brain: for the cases brought against Llarena that are connected with public statements he made, he has to defend himself, with his own money; and the payment of court costs should not come out of the public coffers.

All of this has its origin in the civil case filed in Brussels by president Puigdemont and the Catalan ministers in exile against Llarena, following statements made by the judge about the referendum case in February this year, in Oviedo. His public positioning on whether or not there are political prisoners in Spain could violate his impartiality, in the opinion of the plaintiffs. The Belgian judge has cited Llarena to appear on 4th September in Brussels and the defence will cost money, probably several thousand euros. Why should Spanish taxpayers be paying for this if the defendant is appearing on a civil basis and when he would not be in this situation if he hadn't decided to publicly extemporize about a subject on which he was not permitted to speak?

But, if you'll forgive me, the most entertaining aspect of all is that the Supreme Court and the judiciary are alleging a denial of the judge's legal rights has occurred and that the Spanish government has abandoned Llarena to his fate in Belgium. Denial of rights? Excuse me, but a little more precision is required in the choice of words. Because, if we are to talk about the denial of rights, Judge Llarena might be almost the last in the line, far less disadvantaged than the Catalan political prisoners who have been victims of an unprecedentedly barbaric attack by the judiciary based on an inconsistent narrative, which distorts what happened in Catalonia and is only aimed at forcing the independence movement to forget its plans for a generation.

Judge Llarena has not been denied his rights nor has he been left to fend for himself in Brussels. Everything is much simpler than that: don't be afraid, Mr Llarena, because if you are right, Belgian justice will recognise it and the case will be thrown out. And this, when you think about it, is something that should satisfy any judge.