The Spanish Interior Ministry is set to deport ten Sahrawi activists to Morocco. The activists, who hold Moroccan passports, have been detained at Madrid’s Barajas Airport for several days after their asylum requests were rejected.
The decision to deport the activists comes after they initiated a hunger strike on Sunday to protest the denial of their asylum applications.
The Spanish Interior Ministry said that medical personnel are closely monitoring the Sahrawi activists’ health and are prepared to provide necessary assistance if required.
The Sahrawi activists sought asylum in Spain a few days ago, but their applications were denied by the Spanish authorities.
The Asylum and Refuge Office has not disclosed the specific reasons for the denials due to data protection regulations. The Interior Ministry said that the deportation will be carried out in accordance with Spanish law.
On Saturday, relatives of the detained activists staged a protest outside the Interior Ministry headquarters in Madrid.
The relatives denounced what they described as “inhumane conditions” their loved ones were enduring at Barajas Airport, including lack of hygiene, bedbug infestations, limited access to sunlight, and a monotonous diet that had been served for twenty days.
The asylum room at Barajas Airport is currently housing 57 Moroccan citizens. Ione Belarra, the Secretary General of the Spanish political party Podemos, has criticized the “inhumane conditions” faced by the Sahrawi activists and accused the government of refusing to provide them with accommodation.
Belarra also condemned the government’s “hypocrisy,” pointing out that while the Sahrawi activists were being detained at the airport, the government quickly granted asylum to Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González. She described González as a “violent and dangerous far-right activist.”
In August, Spanish authorities denied asylum to two Sahrawis from Laayoune who sought medical care in Spain. The individuals claimed they couldn’t get necessary treatment in southern Morocco.
Local media reported that the Sahrawis had submitted asylum requests in Madrid through a lawyer who provided medical reports detailing their “mental and physical disabilities.”
However, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior rejected the requests due to Spain’s shift towards Morocco’s stance on the Sahara.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.