The Spanish Government has officially conceded that it is going to process the Nigerian citizens who arrived hidden on an oil tanker in Gran Canaria as refugees. The Ministry of the Interior will reconsider the decision, which has not been finalized by the Commission for Refugee Aid in Spain.
According to what sources from the Government Delegation, CEAR, and EFE have all informed us, the change in criteria for examining the case has been made to everyone but three applicants.
The third applicant has been re-examined and was granted asylum at a time he was under threat of deportation. However, in order to obtain this status, they must have the same terms as Caminando Fronteras and the Diocesan Secretariat for Migrations, the two agencies that offered him legal advice.
The two stowaways whose case has been admitted for processing will go to a resource of the humanitarian reception network from the police stations.
Three stowaways who survived an 11-day journey at sea find themselves stranded in a country that rejects them based on criteria listed in its repatriation policy.
It’s not yet clear what the future will hold, but the United States has officially received a formal offer of reception from an EU nation.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Acnur) has suggested opening the way for fostering at least one of them since they are vulnerable and have a state of health.
Amnesty International tells us that of the three refugees arriving in Malta, only one has merit for humanitarian asylum. One trial refugee is requesting protection from Malta after a medical emergency, and this request is in the hands of UNHCR because Malta does not have asylum law.
In a document obtained by EFE, the Spanish Agency for Refugees (Acnur) reminds experts that Supreme Court jurisprudence obliges it to be “proactive” when examining the special circumstances referred to in article 46.3 of the Law on the Right to Asylum, which enables the humanitarian exception.
An NGO called Caminando Fronteras and the Bishopric of the Canary Islands are asking for different treatments in order to best help a Nigerian citizen. They argue that this is the reason they’re asking Spain to grant him “special treatment”.
The two social organizations allege that their client had to appear in front of the police without enough time to process what he experienced and when he finally realized it, he was in a much worse condition than when he originally requested asylum. The men also assert that because of his extreme emotional exhaustion, he never received the necessary treatment from his doctors and still has debilitating symptoms including vomiting, dizziness, and dehydration.
We’ve learned that both Caminando Fronteras and CEAR have reiterated to EFE that none of the three knew each other before embarking on the trip. Furthermore, there is no relationship between them, nor do they know each other’s identities. The information from these organizations has also been confirmed by Alithini II operator MG Tankers. The boat sailed from Lagos to Antwerp without knowing where it was going or how many days would be totaled throughout the trip.
