The PSP states that it had already recognized “that the international area of Lisbon airport, from a structural point of view, is not suitable for the prolonged stay of foreign citizens”.
The PSP said on Wednesday that, with the support of the Lisbon City Council, it has managed to put an end to foreigners spending the night on the ground in the international area of Lisbon Airport while waiting for authorization to enter the country.
“With the support of the Lisbon City Council’s Municipal Civil Protection Service, it was possible to obtain equipment that allowed the situation to be mitigated, immediately putting an end to the scenario of people spending the night on the ground,” the PSP said in a statement released on Wednesday.
The PSP’s announcement comes on the day that Público newspaper reported that the National Prevention Mechanism (MNP), under the supervision of the Ombudsman’s Office, after an unannounced visit on October 29, 2023 to the Lisbon Airport Temporary Installation Center (EECIT), called for an immediate end to the situation.
In a subsequent report sent to the PSP on January 8, the MNP recommended “the immediate cessation of the maintenance of applicants for international protection in the international zone of the airport”, says the PSP, adding that it responded to the recommendations on January 19, with “the assessments it deemed necessary”.
In Wednesday’s statement, the PSP said it had already recognized “that the international area of Lisbon airport, from a structural point of view, is not suitable for the prolonged stay of foreign citizens”.
“Therefore, and taking into account the availability of accommodation in the EECIT at Humberto Delgado Airport, the PSP is gradually placing applicants for international protection (PPI) in this space, under the terms of the Asylum Law and subject to judicial review,” it says.
The PSP explains that EECIT’s maximum capacity “is limited, which is even more worrying when the number of applicants for international protection is on a slight upward trend”.
“To mitigate this situation, the PSP has been transferring citizens applying for IPP between the EECITs at Porto and Faro airports, in order to guarantee conditions of human dignity while they await a response to their applications, many of which are already under judicial review (appeal),” it explains.
The president of the Portuguese Bar Association, Fernanda de Almeida Pinheiro, also visited the center on Tuesday, as part of a delegation from the Bar Association’s Human Rights Commission, and noted the poor reception conditions.