The Spanish Interior Ministry has made the decision to deport ten Sahrawi activists to Morocco after their asylum requests were rejected. The activists, who hold Moroccan passports, have been detained at Madrid’s Barajas Airport for several days. They had initiated a hunger strike to protest the denial of their asylum applications.
The Spanish authorities have not disclosed the specific reasons for the asylum denials but stated that the deportation will be carried out in accordance with the law. Family members of the detained activists have protested outside the Interior Ministry headquarters in Madrid, condemning the poor conditions at the airport.
Ione Belarra from the political party Podemos criticized the government’s treatment of the Sahrawi activists, highlighting the disparity in granting asylum to Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González. Previously, Spanish authorities denied asylum to two Sahrawis seeking medical care, citing a shift in Spain’s stance towards Morocco’s position on the Sahara.