Spanish foreign affairs minister, Alfonso Dastis, will try a diplomatic offensive in Switzerland, the country where ERC's secretary general, Marta Rovira, and former CUP deputy Anna Gabriel are living in exile. Dastis plans to meet with his Swiss counterpart, Ignazio Cassis, on Monday 23rd, according to Swiss newspaper Blick.
The newspaper asks whether he will use the meeting to analyse the question of Catalonia. Swiss authorities have repeatedly stated they do not grant extraditions for political reasons.
The Swiss Parliament's foreign affairs committee, which examined Rovira's case in a meeting this Tuesday, has commented along similar lines. According to a document published following the meeting, there's a "process underway" over the request for Rovira's extradition to Spain, but they don't see reasons for it to go ahead.
"The foreign affairs committee has examined the case of Catalan independence supporter Marta Rovira, who has found refuge in Switzerland after her indictment for rebellion and sedition in Spain, charges for which she risks up to 30 years in prison", says the document, which indicates that the committee "has taken note" of the case and that "extradition will be rejected if it is confirmed that the request is motivated by purely political reasons".
The Spanish government could try to use the case of Hervé Falciani as pressure over Switzerland, but Swiss authorities have already said they don't plan on making an exchange.
