Germany has decided to hold off for a second consecutive year on sending asylum seekers back to Greece in an effort to relieve pressure on its European Union partner as it reforms its asylum system.
Under the so-called Dublin procedure, EU countries return illegal migrants to the first EU country they entered. In most cases, that is Greece, on the bloc’s southeastern edge.
Continue reading ‘Germany suspends returning asylum seekers to Greece for second year’
The following article on “the next reform of Dublin II” was published on Septmeber 19, 2012
Asylum seekers in the EU would be better protected, and would not be transferred to EU countries where there is a risk of inhuman or degrading treatment, under changes to EU asylum legislation endorsed by the Civil Liberties Committee on Wednesday. Parliament is expected to adopt the new law by the end of the year.
The changes would update the “Dublin” regulation, which lays down criteria for determining which member state is responsible for examining an application for international protection. This is necessary to prevent asylum seekers from filing multiple applications or applying to a state of their choice after transiting through other EU countries. The regulation also precludes situations in which asylum seekers are sent from one state to another, with none accepting responsibility. Usually, the country deemed responsible is that through which the asylum seeker first entered the EU.
Continue reading ‘Dublin II: Reform instead of Abolishment’
Watch: “Dublin’s Trap: Another Side of the Greek Crisis” (2012)
by Bryan Carter
As reported by local newspapers for the second time within the last year Italy is deporting sans-papiers by ship back to Greece. 64 sans-papiers are at this moment detained inside the ferryboat Ioanian Queen and guarded by 50 Carabinieris. They will arrive tomorrow morning in Patras. The deportation is reported to be based on the Dublin II regulation, but it remains unclear if there was any other legal ground on which this deportation was decided. While most European countries have stopped deporting sans-papiers back to Greece due to the European wide recognition of the ongoing human rights violations and degrading living conditions, Italy obviously continues. Italy itself is together with Hungary has been after Greece criticised more and more and became the next candidates for a struggle to stop Dublin II deportations back there.
The reform of the Greek Asylum Procedure was welcomed by Europe in the beginning of 2011. We ask: Is it really an improvement?
As far as one can observe until now the new asylum law is only selectively being applied. Additionally, the new procedures confront severe practical obstacles. We have not seen any improvement for refugees in Greece only a worsening of the situation. Migration and asylum policy are the very heart of the civil society and the state. Can we afford to look the other way and ignore severe human rights abuses of the most vulnerable parts of our society? There is a great importance in denouncing the continuance of human rights violations and, thus, in fighting against a European propaganda that will soon enough again beautify and mask the tragic reality of refugee life in Greece in order to protect the Dublin II regulation and start again the returns/ deportations of refugees back to Greece.
Refugees from Germany nevertheless to be further deported to Hungary
“No refugees in orbit“ was a central slogan of the so called Dublin II-agreement, meant to regulate the proceedings of asylum applications. But the real effect is exactly the opposite: more and more refugees – including minors – are straying through Europe, fleeing from being deported to the countries of first arrival. They spend months or even years in various EU nations in the search for a country that will recognise their rights, and offer them a decent chance to experience a normal human life. Their first registration via fingerprint in the eastern and southern EU nations often leads to their doom. What at the beginning of the year was suspended for refugees, who entered Europe in Greece, is an ongoing problem with Italy, Malta or also Hungary, despite similar unsustainable conditions: constantly there is a threat of deportation to these nations of first registration when refugees continue their journey.
“Europe wide we are observing a horrifying phenomenon: young refugees have to continue to flee. And this is due to fear of deportation to European countries in which their human rights as children are being trampled. Nobody feels responsible for these teenagers, who are displaced from one country to another,“
said Niels Espenhorst, speaker of the Federal Association for Unaccompanied Minor Refugees.
Continue reading ‘Hungary systematically arrests asylum seekers – including minors!’
Dublin II means they play football with us, shooting us from one country to another, playing with us and wasting our time…
Five stories of young afghan refugees who have one experience in common: they have been detained in Hungary. Some of them have been already deported to Hungary because of Dublin. Some are threatened by deportation…
Milad* (17) from Afghanistan is living in a facility for minor refugees in Frankfurt, Germany since October 2010. For almost two years he has been on an Odyssey across Europe.
Continue reading ‘minors in hungary 2011’
Demonstration of solidary people and Afghan refugees in Attiki
This is one of the seldom afternoons that the afghans reconquerεδ the square. A group of 1000 people, among them many Afghan refugees, women and children gathered in the afternoon in Attiki Square to protest against the fascist movement that is occupying the place since the end of September 2010 and that already has expulsed all forms of human life from the St. Panteleimon Church.
Interview with Fardin (17) in Zalaergerszeg detention prison, 26th of October 2010
The following interview was taken under difficult circumstances, on the phone of the prison. We had never seen each other before – it was a friend of a friend who brought us in contact. Fardin was not in a good mood – but he said that he wants to give testimony what happens in Hungary to the deported. He hopes that maybe, if the authorities knew what happens, they might stop the Dublin-system.
He says:
“For me it’s to late now, but maybe all the others, they should not experience the same!”
Continue reading ‘Hungary imprisons minors after Dublin II deportation’
A short report about the situation of refugees in Hungary
10th of December 2010
Hungary is a member state of European Union and of the Schengen Treaty. For refugees it is a main transit country as it lies a the cross roads to northern Europe. Within the last years a high number of refugees tried leaving Greece through the mountains of Macedonia and Serbia to Hungary in order to cross the border to Austria and move on to the North. Nevertheless, apart of the many who were deported back to Serbia due to interstatal agreements, a huge number of refugees have been caught up within the countries borders, being detained there and forced to apply for asylum. Due to the difficult living conditions most refugees decided not to stay and move on even after an asylum application. Hungary is applying European migration policy very strictly and, thus, is continuously accepting the returns of Dublin II cases back to its territory. this has been the case also for many unaccompanied minors who had applied for asylum in Hungary in order to be allowed to leave the camps.
Continue reading ‘Short report on the situation of refugees in Hungary’