Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001808/2024/rev.1
to the Commission
Rule 144
Irene Montero (The Left), Isabel Serra Sánchez (The Left)
Forty Sahrawi people are being detained in a holding room at Barajas Airport (Madrid) after applying for asylum on the grounds that their lives will be in danger if they are deported to Morocco. Some 29 of them are on hunger strike. These people are being persecuted in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, for which Spain has a historical and legal responsibility as an administering power under international law.
Their prolonged detention could infringe the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the right to human dignity, freedom and security, and the right to seek asylum. It could violate, too, the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the return of individuals to countries where they could face torture or inhuman treatment. It may also breach the Asylum Procedure Directive and the Reception Conditions Directive for applicants for international protection.
In view of this:
- 1.What urgent measures will the Commission take to ensure that Spain complies with the EU rules on asylum and the principle of non-refoulement?
- 2.What steps could it take to help protect the Sahrawi asylum seekers, given the occupation of Western Sahara and human rights violations in that territory?
Submitted: 24.9.2024