BARCELONA — The deposed leader of Catalonia said on Tuesday that he had traveled to Brussels to guarantee a fair trial for himself and other separatists who declared independence from Spain last week, but that they were not seeking asylum.

Instead, the former leader, Carles Puigdemont, said he had left Catalonia as Madrid took over administration of his region to put Spain’s territorial conflict “in the institutional heart of Europe.”

“We are here because Brussels is the capital of Europe, it is not a question of Belgian politics,” Mr. Puigdemont said in his first public remarks since the Spanish authorities called on Monday for him and 19 other separatists to be prosecuted for rebellion.“This is a European issue,” Mr. Puigdemont told a news conference, “and I want Europe to react.”

Mr. Puigdemont’s wishes for Europe to take up his case and cause are unlikely to be granted. Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union, but the bloc is a group of sovereign states in a time of increased nationalism on the continent.