FORMER Catalan education minister Clara Ponsati was issued with a fresh European arrest warrant today, over her role in 2017’s Catalan independence referendum.

Ms Ponsati, a former professor at St Andrews University, is facing a single charge of sedition related to her involvement in the referendum, held in the autonomous region of Catalonia and later declared illegal by Spanish authorities.

She denies the charge.

The issuing of the warrant follows the conviction and sentencing of nine Catalan leaders on the same charge and the withdrawing of a previous arrest warrant for Ms Ponsati last July.

Ms Ponsati said she felt “a very intense feeling of outrage and injustice.”

She added: “A referendum is not a crime. When you face a situation of clear injustice, civil disobedience becomes an obligation.”

Leading human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar, who is representing Ms Ponsati, described the warrant as “a systematic attempt to criminalise the fight for independence by over two million Catalan voters.”

He said: “Clara believes the charge to be part of a politically motivated prosecution and submits her extradition would be unjust and incompatible with her human rights.

“The extradition will be opposed robustly and it is Clara’s intent to put on trial the Spanish justice system as well as its politicians who have interfered with due process.”

Police Scotland confirmed that they were in possession of the warrant.

Ms Ponsati is expected to attend an Edinburgh police station with Mr Anwar tomorrow morning to hand herself in.