Brussels, 28/07/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Association for Human Rights (AEDH) has criticised the expulsion by France and the United Kingdom of 40 Afghans on board a charter flight on 27 July. The AEDH (our translation) "criticises the fact that all that these European States were able to offer these Afghans, who were fleeing from their war-torn country, was expulsion, contrary to all international conventions and denying any rudimentary considerations of humanity or respect for dignity and human rights". It "calls upon all the governments of the European Union to stop using these expulsion methods under the pretext of ensuring the protection of our borders".
While this group expulsion was in its preparatory stages, some 50 associations and unions spoke out against "the demagogy of using charters", underlining that "Afghanistan is currently anything but a safe country: the situation has never been as explosive as it has in recent months. Murders, kidnappings and attacks are widespread across the country, in the run-up to the legislative elections" of 18 September. These associations believe that "returns by charter send out a message of humiliation and haughty indifference on the part of Western countries towards the populations of poor countries or those in the state of conflict".
The interior ministers of France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Italy, meeting in the informal "G5" group, announced their intention of carrying out joint expulsions by charter flight on 5 July. The European Commission announced a proposal on minimum common standards to govern expulsions over two years ago. This proposal has now been scheduled for the month of September.
The French Minister for the interior stated in a press release that the departure of the 40 Afghans, "25 of whom entered France and 15 the United Kingdom via illegal networks (...) was preceded by an investigation of the situation for each and every one of those repatriated, with approaches to the Ambassador of Afghanistan in Paris and the French embassy in Kabul, to provide us with assurances that these people has no need to fear returning to their country". This expulsion is "a message sent out to people considering illegal immigration and to organisers of illegal networks, who exploit them mercilessly and hand them over to unscrupulous employers", said the French interior minister, who praised the " excellent cooperation between the French and British".