The Diplomat
The Government of Pedro Sánchez has denied the renewal of the residence permit to the Sahrawi activist Aminatu Haidar, as she herself reported at the FISahara, the International Film Festival that is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary in Madrid, and her lawyer confirmed to the newspaper El País.
Haidar, who received a humanitarian visa in Spain 16 years ago to receive medical treatment for his multiple health problems, had renewed his permit each year until 2020, but was denied an extension in 2021 due to staying too long outside Spain. The activist appealed her decision, which allowed him to keep her permit.
In January 2022, her permit expired and Haidar requested the extension within 90 days. Additionally, in May of that year she requested that the file be transferred to Madrid to receive medical treatment. However, the Government Delegation in Madrid notified her, a year later, of the denial of the permit, arguing that the application had been submitted out of time, according to her lawyer, who described this decision as “political” and stated that “Aminatu is a another victim of the aggressiveness and administrative violence of this Government towards the Sahrawi population.”
Aminatu Haidar has been in an irregular situation in Spain since November, fearing possible deportation to Western Sahara. The activist, suffering from fibromyalgia, chronic osteoporosis and previous surgeries, was sentenced to prison in 2005 for her activities in favor of the independence of Western Sahara and carried out a 32-day hunger strike in 2009 at the Lanzarote airport, where she had been expelled by the Moroccan authorities from Laayoune upon arrival from a trip to the United States. During the hunger strike, Agustín Santos Maraver, current MP for Sumar, went to Lanzarote to meet with her while he was serving as chief of staff of the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miguel Ángel Moratinos.
In the aforementioned FISahara, Haidar declared that the decision of Pedro Sánchez’s Government to recognize the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara is “a clear betrayal” and accused the main Spanish political parties of changing their position on this conflict every time they they come to power.
