Political refugee Asier Guridi starts a hunger strike in Venezuela to demand legal personality
- On 29 March, political refugee Asier Guridi Zaloña began a hunger strike to claim to the Consulate of Spain "Jewish identity", as the Spanish State has denied him legal personality and, consequently, has closed access to fundamental rights such as access to employment, being able to vote or replace and defend his 13-year-old son.
In December last year, Guridi again followed a hunger strike for the same reason and on 8 December he abandoned the strike by accepting the "refugee status" of the Venezuelan Government. But he does not recognize Venezuelan identity because he cannot present the Spanish passport. In a statement issued by the media, he explained that the Spanish State "denies its legal personality" and "thus suspends its fundamental rights" in the search for employment, in the representation and defense of its 13-year-old son, in food, in the vote, in marriage or in simple operations such as hiring his phone on his behalf.
"Unsuccessful" conditions to achieve the identity of Venezuela
On March 3, Guridi asked the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain Venezuelan nationality. But for that they ask him for the Spanish passport, and although he took the necessary steps to obtain the passport, the Spanish State refuses it. Similarly, the Spanish State does not grant any document or the Criminal and Judicial Background Document (DUE).
In addition, they ask you to pay 25 petros (around EUR 1,267), which is an extraordinary disbursement for a person who has been living without documentation since 2014. In addition, it is required to provide proof by a public employee that he/she has the legitimate livelihoods to be able to reside.
Documentation necessary to regularize the documentation of the child
The 13-year-old Basque Venezuelan son, who currently resides in the Basque Country, has denounced that he is in an irregular situation because his father is not "endowed with legal personality". Likewise, the sentimental partner of Guridi cannot demonstrate this link and is in an irregular situation in the Basque Country.
For my son, for me, for us! !
— Guridi Zaloña Asier (@NortBila) March 28, 2022
To gain legal personality! !
! TO FIGHT! #Identity pic.twitter.com/qUk04s6GbW
"This is torture to you without a pause."
Asier Guridi Zaloña, for his part, made the following statements on Twitter: "I do not expect anything good from the Spanish State, accustomed to torturing prisoners, to infringing prisoners' rights and to breaking their laws! I'm not Spanish because I don't feel Spanish. It is the Spanish State that occupies Euskal Herria and imposes its identity on us. I am obliged to go to the Spanish State to have a legal personality and thus have the human rights that all people have. But the Spanish state uses the revenge of the administration, denying its identity and hindering access to rights. (...) There is no court ruling preventing the delivery of my ID. The Spanish State denies this to make my life impossible. It is an infallible torture!
