Jailed Catalan leader cannot temporarily serve as EU lawmaker, EU's top court says

A jailed Catalan separatist leader elected to the European Parliament while in detention cannot serve as an EU lawmaker or enjoy immunity while his case is heard by the European Union Court of Justice, the EU's top court said on Tuesday.

Oriol Junqueras, who was voted into the EU assembly in 2019 despite being detained in Spain since 2017 after an illegal independence referendum, had requested the court to reinstate his rights as an EU lawmaker until a court verdict.

"The Vice-President of the General Court dismisses the application of Mr Junqueras ... for interim measures," the court said in a statement.