Tuesday, March 19

The three men who arrived in an oil tanker to Gran Canaria ask for asylum and will not be returned to Nigeria

The three men who arrived in Gran Canaria as stowaways on an oil tanker have requested asylum. Sources from the Government Delegation have explained to this newspaper that, for this reason, their return to Nigeria has been halted. Two of them were already on the Alithini II ship, which had been ordered to return the men to the port of departure in Lagos. However, as of today the ship will be able to continue its journey without the men, who will be able to stay in Spain until their request is resolved, as Efe has announced.

One of the three men is still admitted to the Hospital Insular de Gran Canaria in serious condition, after a dangerous eleven-day journey. All of them presented moderate dehydration upon arrival on the island.

This morning, the human rights defender group Caminando Fronteras submitted a letter to the Government Sub-delegation in Las Palmas to demand that the Spanish Government stop the return of the three men. The group asked the Ombudsman to ensure the guarantee of the rights of the three castaways. “The fact of submitting to such a risky voyage must be considered as an indication to individually analyze the personal circumstances of the three shipwrecked men,” the statement said.

Caminando Fronteras requested that the three people be referred to reception centers to recover mentally and psychologically.

(There will be expansion)



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