Granting asylum for sacked Catalan leader Puigdemont ‘not unrealistic’ – Belgian minister

It is “not unrealistic” to grant dismissed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont political asylum in Belgium if he applies, Belgian Immigration Minister Theo Francken said on Sunday, amid a simmering dispute over Catalonian independence. “It is not unrealistic if you look at the situation,” Francken told Belgian broadcaster VTM, as cited by Reuters. Belgium is one of the few European countries where EU citizens can obtain political asylum. On Friday, Madrid sacked Puigdemont and dismissed the Catalan parliament, hours after the defiant region declared independence.