The Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament reiterated its view on Wednesday 6 June that the EU-Turkey statement of March 2016 does not respect the rights of asylum seekers who have arrived in Greece. Backing up the group’s position is a fresh study that it commissioned and that was carried out by lawyers Yiota Masouridou and Evi Kyprioti.
The study analyses the case files of 40 asylum seekers. It shows that the procedure for dealing with asylum requests in the Greek islands violates the applicants’ rights to asylum and to due process.
The report studied the cases of 40 people, 30 of whom were Syrian nationals, who had lodged asylum requests in the hotspots on the Greek islands. It looked at procedures for identification and checking nationality, and also the procedure for submitting the asylum request and how it was dealt with, notably through face-to-face interviews.
“Out of the 40 case files assessed, 30 were rejected with final decisions merely based on grounds of admissibility, as Turkey was considered a ‘safe third country’ for the respective applicants”, the report states. The decisions “were neither preceded by a fair and effective assessment of their individual circumstances and protection needs”, nor did they take into account the applicants’ legal and factual situation in Turkey. None of the 30 Syrian asylum seekers involved had been informed at any stage that they were subject to a return procedure under the EU-Turkey statement. Furthermore, the group points out, the returns system does not work efficiently.
The report sets out recommendations for EU leaders and also for Greece. Among the measures, it recommends that the EU “urgently establish channels for safe and regular access to Europe for refugees and migrants”. Turkey “cannot be considered a ‘safe third country’ for asylum applicants” as full access to international protection cannot be guaranteed in Turkey, “a country which frequently violates the principle of non-refoulement in relation to Syrian asylum seekers”. The current practice of systematic detention of asylum seekers must also be ended.
Greece must ensure completely fair procedures for dealing with applications and improve the reception conditions for asylum seekers.
The link to the report is: https://bit.ly/2sJM2H4. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)