The information was provided to the Lusa agency by Eliseu Sambú, the coordinator of the communication department of the Guinean Students Association in Lisbon (AEGBL), who has been assisting these Guinean students since Thursday.
Currently, there are 41 Guineans in Portugal who arrived with student visas, documentation issued by Portuguese authorities at the consular services in Guinea-Bissau, but were unable to enter Portugal because immigration services at Lisbon airport requested additional documentation.
Eliseu Sambú explained that the students presented their passports and visas, and the services questioned them about the public universities in Portugal where they intended to study.
The students are enrolled in Portuguese higher education, with their names listed among accepted students, he stated.
The group’s spokesperson indicated that, following this request, and with the student association’s assistance, some of the students’ family members were contacted and went to the airport, presenting the required document.
According to Eliseu Sambú, immigration services communicated that the students have until Friday to present the requested documentation, otherwise, they will be repatriated to Guinea-Bissau.
Regarding the conditions in which these students find themselves, he mentioned that they are not suitable for 41 people who began arriving on Thursday.
“This is unpleasant, inhumane, and unacceptable. We demand clarification from the Portuguese services and a stance from the Guinean authorities,” he stated.
Lusa has unsuccessfully tried to contact the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA), the spokesperson of the Public Security Police (PSP), and the Ministry of Internal Administration, and is still awaiting information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the matter.
The Guinean ambassador to Portugal was also unreachable for comments.
A demonstration for the freedom of the 41 Guinean students illegally detained at Lisbon Airport and in concerning conditions is scheduled for today at 5:00 PM at the airport.
[News updated at 1:40 PM]
