Latest news with #SpanishNationalCourt
Ya Biladi
08-07-2025
- Ya Biladi
Spanish court denies bail to woman caught at Morocco border with missing children
The Spanish National Court has ordered the detention of a woman without the possibility of provisional release, following her arrest last Saturday at the Tarajal border crossing, as she attempted to enter Morocco accompanied by two children suspected of having been kidnapped. Belgian authorities accuse the woman of kidnapping, illegal detention, and hostage-taking, and have issued a European Arrest Warrant against her. Judicial sources indicated that she appeared before an investigating judge in Ceuta via video link, pending extradition proceedings to Belgium. According to the Spanish National Police, the woman - now held in a Ceuta prison - was with two children who were subject to an international protection order issued by Belgian authorities after they were reported missing. Spanish officials intervened immediately to secure the children's safety and place them under protective care.
Ya Biladi
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Spain rejects asylum application of Moroccan citizen who swam into Ceuta in 2021
The Spanish National Court has rejected the asylum application of a Moroccan citizen who swam into Ceuta in May 2021, during the migration crisis that saw thousands of people crossing into the city. The court emphasized that there were insufficient grounds to grant him international protection, as Morocco is not in a state of conflict that would justify asylum, and there are no circumstances threatening his personal safety. The applicant arrived in Ceuta on May 17, 2021, and applied for asylum in October of the same year, arguing that the difficult economic situation in Morocco, exacerbated by the border closure, prevented him from supporting his family. However, the Administrative Chamber of the National Court upheld the Spanish Interior Ministry's decision to reject his application, stating that the applicant did not prove that he was persecuted in his country for political, religious, racial, or any other reason covered by the Geneva Convention. The court also clarified that Morocco is not facing an internal or international conflict that would justify the granting of subsidiary protection.
Ya Biladi
27-01-2025
- Ya Biladi
Trial of Seville tour guide accused of sexual assault during Morocco tour to begin
The trial of a Seville tour guide accused of sexually assaulting an American tourist and two others during trips to Morocco and Portugal, is scheduled to commence on Monday. The prosecutor at the Spanish National Court is seeking a nine-year prison sentence for the accused. Manuel Gerardo P.F., who serves as the president of Discover Excursion, faces allegations of assaulting his victims while leading a tour booked by one of them in the fall of 2013, according to reports from Spanish news agency EuropaPress. The tour, organized by his company, covered several cities across northern Morocco. On the final night of the trip, just before the group was set to return to Spain on November 2, 2013, the defendant reportedly knocked on the hotel room door of the victim and her two friends in Tangier. Offering a game of «Truth or Dare», he allegedly urged them to undress. Upon their refusal, he disrobed to his underwear. As the victim grew tired and fell asleep, her friends continued conversing with him. Upon waking, the victim found herself alone and went to the bathroom. It was then that the accused allegedly forced his way into the room and sexually assaulted her. When she awoke again, she noticed injuries on her knees and suspected she had been drugged and raped. In early 2018, while recounting her ordeal in Morocco at the University of Florida, two attendees shared similar experiences with the same tour guide during a summer 2017 trip. This revelation prompted the victim to report the incident to the Spanish Consulate in Miami on March 1, 2018. The accused is also alleged to have committed similar acts on another tour in Lagos, Portugal, between May 26 and 28, 2017. The prosecutor has charged Manuel Gerardo P.F. with sexual assault and rape, alongside two additional charges of sexual assault, totaling three offenses. The prosecution is demanding a nine-year prison term, a six-year ban from approaching or contacting the first victim, and a one-year ban concerning the other two victims. Additionally, the prosecutor seeks an eight-year prohibition on the defendant's practice as a tour guide and compensation of 40,000 euros for the first victim and 1,500 euros for each of the other two victims.
