Last 17 September, around 20 Nigerian women, possibly victims of traffickers, were returned to Nigeria from Fiumicino Airport in Rome. While the repatriation proceedings were under way, copies of the suspension orders issued by the court were being sent to the police headquarters by lawyers at the University of Rome 3 Law School Clinic, while activists started gathering at the airport calling on the border police to allow those concerned to disembark from the aircraft. However, only one Nigerian woman was allowed to do so in compliance with the order issued by the court suspending her repatriation. At least two others, concerning whom a similar suspension order had been forwarded by the lawyers to the police headquarters at 13.45 - well before the scheduled departure time at 15.30 - were repatriated in breach of the court order.

Can the Commission shed any light on these recent incidents and indicate whether they constitute an infringement of Article 19(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Articles 9 and 13(2) of Return Directive 2008/115/EC and Articles 20 and 21 of Qualification Directive 2011/95/EU?