The Association of Students from Guinea-Bissau in Lisbon reported late Monday that “more than 30 students who were detained” at Lisbon airport “are now free.”
“More than 30 of the 41 students who were held at Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport since Friday are now free,” reads a statement shared on the AEGBL’s Facebook page.
The association also noted that it is present at the airport “monitoring everyone’s release, which is currently underway,” adding that it will provide “more information as soon as possible.”
On Monday, the Public Security Police (PSP) stated in a communiqué that “34 refusals of entry for foreign citizens from a third country were processed, with one case reviewed and the decision overturned.”
However, an AEGBL official reiterated, during a protest outside the airport, that there are 41 young people detained.
Addressing the discrepancy between the numbers presented by the Association of Students from Guinea-Bissau in Lisbon (AEGBL) and the official data communicated by the Public Security Police (PSP), João Domingos da Cunha, the coordinator of the AEGBL’s Educational Policy Department, told reporters that “41 students are stranded at Lisbon airport” and that they are also aware of the Portuguese police’s statement.
Domingos da Cunha noted that they have not been contacted by the Guinea-Bissau Embassy in Portugal, but heard the Bissau Foreign Minister, Carlos Pinto Pereira, mention 25 students, a figure he disputes, asserting that the student association is on site (at Lisbon airport) and in contact with the young people who were detained for not having on hand a document that substantiated their means of subsistence, a document, he emphasized, that was not requested from them in Guinea-Bissau.
The student representative assured that their colleagues reported facing dire conditions, lacking proper food and rest, information contradicted by the PSP communiqué, which stressed that “regarding the accommodation conditions, the PSP continually ensured meals, hygiene conditions, and beds for the citizens who remained in the International Zone (ZI).”
An official from the Association of Students from Guinea-Bissau in Lisbon reiterated today, during a protest at the airport, that there are 41 youths detained there, while the PSP mentions 34, and they have yet to receive any consular support from Bissau.
Lusa | 18:52 – 01/09/2025
It should be highlighted that the Guinean students have been detained at Lisbon airport since Friday due to the lack of means of subsistence and/or lack of proof of accommodation compatible with the planned stay.
The PSP also noted that “several citizens have submitted requests for reassessment, providing new elements, which are being reviewed,” pointing out that “once the prerequisites complying with the criteria for admission into higher education institutions are verified, the decision to refuse entry will be revoked.”
The Guinean students have been detained at Lisbon airport since last Friday. The PSP informed that 34 entry refusals were processed and one case has been “reappraised” with the decision “overturned.”
Maria Gouveia with Lusa | 17:49 – 01/09/2025
[News updated at 22h54]
