4.10.4. Western Mediterranean region
The Council of Europe launched a free Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) online course on “Asylum and Human Rights” in Tenerife, Spain, in co-operation with the Bar Association of Tenerife (ICATF) and Spain's General Council of Lawyers.933
Several civil society organisations continued to report on shortcomings in the provision of legal assistance on the Canary Islands, especially for detained migrants, due to a lack of specialised lawyers in immigration matters. 934
A practical guide on legal assistance for sea arrivals was published in August 2021 by the Spanish General Council of Lawyers.935
The guide provides information on best practices to ensure the quality of legal assistance, access to administrative files and working methods during health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a preliminary assessment, the Supreme Administrative Court in Portugal allowed a judicial review when the applicant complained of a lack of information on free legal aid in the asylum procedure, including having a lawyer during the interview. The judgment on the merits of the case is pending. Throughout 2021, UNHCR continued to provide legal information to asylum applicants in Portugal, through its partner the Portuguese Refugee Council. 936
- 933Council of Europe, Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees. (2021). Launch of free online course on “Asylum and Human Rights” in Spain [Newsletter July-August 2021]. https://www.coe.int/en/web/special-representative-secretary-general-mig…; Abogacía Española. (2022). Input to the Asylum Report 2022. https://euaa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2022-03/abogacia_espanola.pdf
- 934Amnesty International. (2021, December 21). Canarias: Un año de análisis, décadas de fracaso de políticas migratorias [Canary Islands: A year of analysis, decades of policy failure migratory.]. https://www.es.amnesty.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Informe-Amnistia-Canar…; Andalucía Acoge. (2021, April 23). Carta abierta por el respeto de los derechos humanos de las personas migrantes en canarias [Open letter for the respect of human rights of migrants in the Canary Islands]. https://acoge.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Carta-Canarias-final_23_04…; Amnesty International. (2021, May 4). Canarias: la infinita espera [Canary Islands: the endless wait]. https://www.es.amnesty.org/en-que-estamos/blog/historia/articulo/canari…; See also: European Union Agency for Asylum. (2021). EASO Asylum Report 2021: Annual Report on the Situation of Asylum in the European Union. https://euaa.europa.eu/easo-asylum-report-2021
- 935Spanish Law Association | Abogacía Española. (2021, August 5). Asistencia jurídica en llegadas marítimas: Guía práctica para la abogacía [Legal aid at sea arrivals: Practical guide for lawyers]. https://www.abogacia.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/WEB-GUIA-LLEGADAS-MA…; Spanish Law Association | Abogacía Española. (2021, August 5). La Abogacía presenta una Guía práctica para la asistencia jurídica en llegadas marítimas de migrantes [The Law Association presents a practical guide for legal aid at sea arrivals of migrants]. https://www.abogacia.es/actualidad/noticias/la-abogacia-presenta-una-gu…
- 936In the first semester of 2021, 300 asylum-seekers were provided with information and 638 interventions were made within the RSD procedure. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (September 2021). Bi-annual fact sheet 2021 Portugal. https://www.unhcr.org/publications/operations/6172aeeaf/bi-annual-fact-…
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