Author
In practice there are no specific nationalities automatically considered to be presenting well-founded or unfounded applications.
Venezuelans
In 2018, the Audiencia Nacional provided additional guidance on the legal status of Venezuelans in Spain. According to the judgments, the socio-politic and economic crisis in Venezuela entitles Venezuelan asylum seekers to a residence permit in Spain under humanitarian reasons.[1]
In 2023, out of a total of 41,487 first instance decisions on humanitarian grounds, 40,674 Venezuelans obtained a residence permit on humanitarian grounds, while no information is available on how many Venezuelans obtained any form of international protection at the time of writing, as Venezuela is not within the top 5 nationalities disaggregated in the available figures.[2]
Lawyers have expressed deep concerns regarding the individual assessment of asylum claims lodged by Venezuelans, as some of them were granted a residence permit on humanitarian grounds despite being entitled to refugee status (e.g. in the case of political opponents). In addition, it appears that some applications for international protection have been rejected because asylum seekers have a police record (not a criminal record).[3]
In a decision taken in March 2021, the Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo) established that the general situation of crisis in Venezuela does not amount to an individual persecution or to a serious harm justifying the recognition of international protection. Instead, the Court established that the severe economic conditions of the country – affected by food shortages and high unemployment rates – justify granting a residence permit for humanitarian reasons.[4]
It has to be noted that the number of rejections for Venezuelans increased significantly in the last years, with 10,431 rejected applications in 2022.[5]
Syrians
Another non-official practice of differential treatment concerned, until 2020, applications presented by Syrian nationals, who were in their vast majority granted subsidiary protection, and no case-by-case assessment was realised on the requirement to receive international protection. It should be noted, however, how this trend seemingly inverted in 2021, when 460 refugee statuses were recognised to Syrian nationals, compared to 265 cases in which subsidiary protection was recognised.[6] The same trend continued in 2022, when 1,019 Syrians were granted refugee status[7], which might be partly due to the fact that very few Syrian applicants’ cases were examined.
Hondurans and Salvadorians
Another situation that can be highlighted is that of persons fleeing from gangs (Maras) in Central American countries, who were not granted international protection in previous years. In 2017 the Audiencia Nacional recognised subsidiary protection in different cases regarding asylum applicants from Honduras and El Salvador.[8] At the beginning of 2018, the Audiencia Nacional issued another important decision on the matter and revised its jurisprudence in relation to asylum applicants from Honduras.[9] In light of the 2016 UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum-Seekers from Honduras, the Court concluded that the situation in Honduras can be considered as an internal conflict and that the Honduran State is not able to protect the population from violence, extortion and threats carried out by the Mara Salvatrucha gang.
In different decisions adopted in July 2022, the Audiencia Nacional denied protection to asylum applicants from Honduras and El Salvador who fled their countries due to threats from the maras. The Court agreed with the criterion used by the Minister of Interior, considering that such threat is a matter of common criminality which does not amount to persecution, and recognising the efforts that the two countries are carrying out to fight against such violence.[10]
Only some applicants from Honduras and El Salvador with specific profiles (i.e. former police officers, former staff of law enforcement agencies, human rights defenders, LGTBI+ individuals, gender-based violence victims) were granted protection.[11]
Colombians
In the last years, asylum seekers from Colombia frequently received a differential treatment due to nationality, as they were systematically denied asylum as the situation in the country is considered to be critical only because of the widespread criminality, instead of acknowledging the presence of organised armed groups. In addition, similar cases of persecution (i.e. for political grounds) have received different outcomes (i.e. granting of international protection or denial).[12] Accem noticed improvements in the recognition of international protection to women victims of gender-based violence.[13]
Afghans
After the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in mid-August 2021, Spain started to evacuate Afghans who had worked with Spanish troops and aid workers. The plan (Operación Antígona), managed by the Ministers of Interior, Foreign Affairs and Defence, entailed their transfer from Kabul to Spain with different flights,[14] as well as their reception and granting of either refugee status or subsidiary protection.[15] The Spanish military base in Torrejón (Autonomous Community of Madrid) worked as a hub for the Afghan refugees who were later transferred to the US or other EU countries.[16] Different Spanish Autonomous Communities offered places for the reception of Afghans, with a special concern for women and children. After the temporarily reception of maximum 72-hours at the Torrejón military base,[17] Afghan refugees were referred to centres or apartments in the framework of the international protection reception system.[18] At the Torrejón facility, the Spanish Red Cross provided the first temporary assistance to refugees.
By the end of August 2021, the Spanish Government had transferred more than 2,200 Afghans to Spain. Around 1,700 applied for international protection, and many were referred to the reception asylum system.[19] One-third of them were under 15 years of age.[20]
The MISSM concluded the referral of Afghans to different reception facilities across the countries by mid-November, and the military base of Torrejón was dismantled.[21] Afghans applicants in Spain have been required to make an asylum application through the usual channels.[22] The Asylum Office (OAR) prioritised the first interview with Afghans applicants for the formalisation of the international protection application. It has to been underlined that interviews were carried out in a complete and detailed manner, also taking into account different characteristics (i.e. belonging to a minority group) and vulnerabilities of applicants. Additionally, the assessment phase was quicker than usual.[23]
In January 2022 the National High Court adopted a decision granting subsidiary protection to the appellant,[24] as it considered that, as far as the conflict in Afghanistan continues and it is not possible to find an internal flight alternative due to the total control of the country by the Taliban regime, the existing violence creates a real risk of suffering serious and individual threats against the life or security of civil population, and that sometimes this real risk may simply exist due to the presence of the applicant in the territory. Such a decision represents a change of criteria in relation to the international protection mechanisms for Afghan nationals in Spain, and has been adopted taken into consideration the UNHCR recommendations after the evacuation of August 2021.
At the end of 2022, a group of 27 Afghan female public prosecutors arrived to Spain from Pakistan together with their families, in an action coordinated by the Spanish Minister of External Affairs and thanks to the initiative of a group of Spanish judges and public prosecutors.[25]
In December 2022, the political party Unidas Podemos presented a parliamentary request aimed at gathering more information and devising solutions in relation to the problems that Afghan nationals are facing at the Spanish embassies in Pakistan and Iran for applying for asylum.[26]
Following a parliamentary request, in March 2023 the Government reported that 1,500 Afghans arrived to Spain since August 2021 after applying for asylum at Spanish embassies in Iran and Pakistan.[27]
In October 2023, the NGO CEAR denounced the return from Pakistan to Afghanistan of seven Afghans who are family members of an Afghan refugee in Spain, who had been waiting for 2 years for the Spanish authorities to decide on their family reunification request.[28]
In 2023, a total of 1,120 Afghans were granted international protection.[29]
In January 2024, the Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo) urged the immediate transfer of eight Afghans from Pakistan to Spain, who were already granted a safe conduct by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and were waiting for their transfer since 2021.[30]
In February 2024, the Public Prosecutor Office asked the National Court (Audiencia Nacional) to transfer to Spain an Afghan public prosecutor who was working on counterterrorism, as her life is in danger.[31] The National Court ordered the Spanish Ambassador in Pakistan to provide the woman and her son the appropriate documents to reach Spain.[32]
Additional information on the initiatives and actions put in place for the protection of Afghan refugees can be found in the previous update of this report (AIDA 2022 update).
Russians
Following the call to arms by the Russian President in November 2022, around 200 Russian draft evaders reached Spain to seek protection.[33] No information on the treatment of such cases is available at the time of writing. In any case, they would have the possibility to access the asylum procedure.
Ukrainians
Concerning the response to the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022, see the Temporary protection Annex to the report.
[1] Audiencia Nacional, Decisions SAN 2522/2018, 26 June 2018; SAN 4063/2018, 8 October 2018; SAN 4060/2018, 18 October 2018.
[2] Ministerio del Interior, ‘Avance de datos de protección internacional, aplicación del Reglamento de Dublín y reconocimiento del estatuto de apátrida. Datos provisionales acumulados entre el 1 de enero y el 31 de diciembre de 2023’, January 2024, available in Spanish at: https://tinyurl.com/34jtmrh8
[3] Information provided by the legal services of Accem on February 2021.
[4] Tribunal Supremo, Decision 352/2021 (STS 1052/2021), 11 March 2021, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3qFWqNK.
[5] Ministerio del Interior, Oficina de Asilo y Refugio (OAR); ‘Asilo en cifras 2022’, November 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/3uey9a7h
[6] Eurostat, First instance decisions on applications by citizenship, age and sex. Annual aggregated data (rounded)[migr_asydcfsta], available at: https://bit.ly/38yLNl9.
[7] Ministerio del Interior, Oficina de Asilo y Refugio (OAR); ‘Asilo en cifras 2022’, November 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/3uey9a7h
[8] Audiencia Nacional, Decision SAN 5110/2017, 22 November 2017; SAN 5189/2017, 22 November 2017; SAN 3930/2017, 14 September 2017.
[9] Audiencia Nacional, Decision SAN 508/2018, 9 February 2018.
[10] Heraldo, ‘La amenaza de las “maras” no es suficiente para lograr asilo en España’, 9 August 2022, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3QCkUmW; Audiencia Nacional. Sala de lo Contencioso, SAN 3412/2022, 13 July 2022, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3nlvyoi.
[11] Information provided by Accem’s legal service in April 2023.
[12] Information provided by the legal service of Accem on February 2022.
[13] Information provided by Accem’s legal service in April 2024.
[14] Newtral, ‘Un segundo avión procedente de Kabul trae a 110 afganos a España’, 20 August 2021, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3qHQUdN; El Diario, ‘Un tercer avión español con refugiados afganos llega este sábado a Madrid desde Kabul’, 21 August 2021, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3pOzc97; Cadena Ser, ‘Aterriza en Torrejón un nuevo vuelo con 292 afganos evacuados por España’, 25 August 2021, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3FPxCtf; Cadena Ser, ‘Aterriza el avión con los últimos evacuados de Afganistán en la base de Torrejón de Ardoz’, 27 August 2021, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/32Y7xtu.
[15] El País, ‘España prepara la evacuación de afganos que trabajaron para sus militares y cooperantes’, 11 August 2021, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3HpKZR2.
[16] Newtral, ‘Así será la acogida de refugiados afganos que ha ofrecido España’, 18 August 2021, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3HulFcW; Cadenaser, ‘España acogerá en Rota y Morón a un máximo de 4.000 colaboradores afganos de EEUU durante dos semanas’, 23 December 2021, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3zmYJJv.
[17] ECRE, Afghans seeking protection in Europe. ECRE’s compilation of information on evacuations, pathways to protection and access to asylum in Europe for Afghans since August 2021, December 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/3pOTjUP.
[18] El Diario, ‘El Gobierno acelera la acogida de refugiados afganos: “La prioridad es sacarles de Torrejón lo antes posible”’, 23 August 2021, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3zy3vUZ.
[19] Público, ‘Más de 1.700 personas evacuadas de Afganistán solicitan protección internacional en España’, 27 August 2021, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3JFoV7g; Público, ‘La mitad de los refugiados afganos llegados a España piden protección internacional en nuestro país’, 23 August 2021, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3HtgCJF; The Objective, ‘Más de 1.700 de los afganos que llegaron a España están en el sistema de acogida aprendiendo el idioma’, 4 December 2021, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3HuL3Pz.
[20] El Diario, ‘Un tercio de los refugiados afganos evacuados y acogidos en España son menores de 15 años’, 2 September 2021, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3FPjRuH.
[21] El Confidencial Autonómico, ‘La base aérea de Torrejón, despejada después de atender a los últimos 240 afganos’, 16 November 2021, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/31l5X4h.
[22] ECRE, Afghans seeking protection in Europe. ECRE’s compilation of information on evacuations, pathways to protection and access to asylum in Europe for Afghans since August 2021, December 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/3pOTjUP.
[23] Information provided by the legal service of Accem on February 2022.
[24] Audiencia Nacional. Sala de lo Contencioso, SAN 250/2022, 13 January 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/405w2gR.
[25] Epe, ‘Las fiscales afganas objetivo de los talibanes y auxiliadas por Exteriores llegan a España’, 27 December 2022, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3vU0IV4.
[26] Mundo Obrero, ‘UP alerta sobre los problemas de las personas huidas de Afganistán que solicitan asilo en las embajadas de Pakistán e Irán’, 30 December 2022, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3kFEK5Q.
[27] Europa Press, ‘El Gobierno ha facilitado la llegada a España de 1.444 afganos que huían de los talibán desde Irán y Pakistán’, 6 March 2023, available in Spanish at: https://bit.ly/3SUqXoU.
[28] CEAR, ‘CEAR denuncia la devolución de una familia a Afganistán que había solicitado ser reagrupada en España’, 17 October 2023, available in Spanish at: https://tinyurl.com/yc7hp848.
[29] Ministerio del Interior, ‘Avance de datos de protección internacional, aplicación del Reglamento de Dublín y reconocimiento del estatuto de apátrida. Datos provisionales acumulados entre el 1 de enero y el 31 de diciembre de 2023’, January 2024, available in Spanish at: https://tinyurl.com/34jtmrh8.
[30] La Razón, ‘El TS ordena a la embajada española en Pakistán el traslado urgente de ocho afganos que tienen un salvoconducto de Exteriores’, 9 February 2024, available at: https://tinyurl.com/5czd7sts.
[31] Europa Press, ‘La Fiscalía pide traer a España a una fiscal antiterrorista afgana que huyó a Pakistan cuando llegaron los talibán’, 13 February 2024, available at: https://tinyurl.com/bdf5jnez.
[32] Poder Judicial, ‘La Audiencia Nacional ordena al embajador en Pakistán que dote a una fiscal antiterrorista afgana y a su hijo de documentación para trasladarse a España’, 11 April 2024, available at: https://tinyurl.com/54tfx5ck.