Spain authorities pledge to investigate government spying on Catalan separatist figures
In a move toward greater transparency, the Spanish ombudsman Saturday announced it will probe the possible inappropriate use of Pegasus spyware by authorities to spy on Catalonian separatist figures. Additionally, a parliamentary commission and the Spanish Intelligence Agency CNI will conduct a separate probe. This decision came in response to a report by the University of [...]
EU top court clarifies 'champagne' has broad protection under EU laws
The Court of Justice of the European Union clarified Thursday that the protected designation of origin (PDO) “champagne” and similar designations are protected “vis-à-vis prohibited conduct in respect of both products and services.” The Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), an organisation that protects the interests of champagne producers, brought an action in Spanish [...]
Italy right-wing leader Salvini to stand trial on kidnapping charges
Former Deputy Prime Minister and current leader of the Italian right-wing League party Matteo Salvini must stand trial for kidnapping, Palermo Judge Lorenzo Janelli ruled Saturday. This comes after he blocked 147 migrants at sea in August 2019 on board a vessel owned by Spanish NGO Open Arms, a non-profit organization aiming to protect the [...]
La detención del rapero español Pablo Hasél por presuntamente glorificar el terrorismo e insultar a la monarquía provocó protestas a las que asistieron miles de personas en toda España el martes. Los cargos de Hasél están relacionados con una serie de sus tweets y letras de canciones. Hasél se atrincheró junto a sus seguidores el [...]
Spain protesters take to streets in response to arrest of rapper over tweets and lyrics
The arrest of Spanish rapper Pablo Hasél for allegedly glorifying terrorism and insulting the monarchy sparked protests attended by thousands of persons across Spain on Tuesday. Hasél’s charges are in relation to a series of his tweets and song lyrics. Hasél barricaded himself alongside supporters on Tuesday inside the University of Lleida to avoid his [...]
Department of Justice closes antitrust investigation against mobile network trade association
The Department of Justice announced Wednesday the completion of its two-year antitrust investigation into the GSMA, a global trade association for mobile network operators. The GSMA is comprised of around 1,200 companies worldwide, including AT&T and Verizon, and has been responsible for developing standards in mobile technology. The organization is headquartered in London, but has [...]
Spain’s Supreme Court on Monday jailed nine Catalan separatists with sentences ranging from 9-13 years imprisonment for the crimes of sedition and misuse of public funds. These sentences are each followed by equal periods of absolute ineligibility for public office. Three others were fined and charged with civil disobedience. The court did not find the [...]
Europe court annuls decision calling Spanish football club tax designation state aid
The General Court of the EU ruled Tuesday that a 2016 European Commission decision that called the tax classification of four professional soccer clubs state aid shall be annulled. Four Spanish soccer clubs, the Fútbol Club Barcelona, the Club Atlético Osasuna, the Athletic Club and the Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, operated as sports clubs since 1990. [...]
Germany court rules Carles Puigdemont extradition permissible
A German court ruled Thursday that Carles Puigdemont could be extradited to Spain on a charge of misuse of public funds. Puigdemont, the former Catalan leader and separatist advocate, first fled Spanish soil back in October, absconding to Belgium after his administration had declared independence from Spain. He has since been required to stay in [...]
Here's the international legal news we covered this week: Transport for London (TfL) on Friday announced that it will not issue a private hire operator license to Uber London Limited to operate in London. ...
