Doha – According to Spanish media reports, the Spanish Interior Ministry plans to deport 10 Moroccan citizens back to Morocco after rejecting their asylum requests. The individuals, who claim to be activists from Western Sahara supporting the separatist Polisario Front, have been detained at Madrid’s Barajas Airport for several weeks while awaiting an asylum decision.
Sources from the Spanish Interior Ministry, led by Fernando Grande-Marlaska, confirmed that a total of 57 Moroccan passport holders are currently being held at the airport’s asylum facilities. Of those, 10 activists began a hunger strike after their asylum claims were denied, with 5 of them still refusing breakfast as of Monday morning.
The pro-Polisario activists allege they face persecution in Morocco due to their political activities challenging the country’s sovereignty over Western Sahara. However, Spanish authorities determined they do not meet the requirements for entry or asylum. “10 will be returned, in accordance with the legislation,” an Interior Ministry source told El Diario.
Fatma Fadel, a lawyer representing some of the detained Moroccan citizens, claims up to 28 pro-Polisario activists are on hunger strike, with around 10 more detained but not participating in the protest. She criticized the asylum denials as “massive” and “unfounded.”
Relatives and supporters of the detained individuals held a demonstration at Barajas Airport on Sunday, calling for their release and the granting of asylum. They claim the activists are “political prisoners” persecuted by Morocco for their separatist activities.
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Podemos party leader Ione Belarra attempted to visit the detainees, denouncing their detention in “inhumane conditions” and accusing the Spanish government of hypocrisy in swiftly granting asylum to a “violent, dangerous far-right Venezuelan” while ignoring the Polisario activists. She alleges a sick 1.5 year old girl and her mother, who recently suffered a miscarriage, have been denied medical care.
The Spanish government’s actions have drawn criticism from its left-wing coalition partner Podemos. However, Madrid appears intent on maintaining positive relations with Morocco and avoiding interference in the Western Sahara territorial dispute.
The deportation of Polisario-affiliated activists, if carried out, would deepen Spain’s alignment with Morocco’s position against the separatist movement.
