Spain drops sedition charge against former Catalan leader

MADRID (AP) — A Spanish judge has dropped sedition charges against former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont for his role in the region’s illegal secession push in 2017 that brought Spain’s most serious political crisis for decades. The court said in a statement Thursday that Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena took the step because changes to Spain’s sedition law that have come into force mean it no longer covers their alleged wrongdoing. The ruling also included four other Catalan separatists involved in the events of 2017. But the court said that the judge maintained the charges of embezzlement and disobedience against them. That means that Puigdemont and his associates who fled the country in 2017 would still have to stand trial if they return to Spain.