Spain denies abuse of Senegalese immigrants 02/06/2006 00:00

2 June 2006

MADRID – Spain has denied that 99 illegal Senegalese immigrants were badly treated when they were repatriated this week.

On Thursday, two Senegalese ministers criticised the Spanish police, claiming immigrants were "handcuffed and tricked" into returning from the Canary Islands to Dakar in Senegal.

However, the secretary of state for foreign affairs, Bernardino Leon, on Friday stated "clearly there was no abuse" and insisted that the Spanish police who repatriated the Senegalese were congratulated by Dakar civil servants when they arrived in Senegal.

Farba Senghor, Senegalese minister of agriculture, had claimed the Spanish authorities told the immigrants they were going to Malaga. When the immigrants discovered they were not being taken to Malaga, they refused to get off the plane when it arrived at Dakar, Senegalese police said.

Leon announced he would travel on Friday to Senegal to talk about the repatriation of more than 600 immigrants, which started on Wednesday, which was temporarily called off in the face of the crisis.

Senegal President Abdulaye Wade called on the Spanish government to ensure "the scrupulous respect for international laws… and permanent respect for dignity".

The Spanish parliamentary group of senators, Canary Coalition, is to ask Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to report on the bilateral agreements signed with African countries to repatriate illegal immigrants.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news