Brussels, 19/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - Forty-three Afghans who were once threatened with expulsion to Kabul by Franco-British charter flight were released on Tuesday 18 November from the administrative detention centre in Coquelles (Pas-de-Calais) after the European Court of Human Rights issued an opinion on Monday calling on France to abandon the project. “A humanitarian gesture had to be made especially when one is aware of the disastrous situation of the country over the past 30 years”, said European Parliament Vice-President Martine Roure (PES, France) in a press release. On Monday, the French ministers for foreign affairs and immigration announced that London's proposal to organise a group return flight for Afghan nationals would not be followed up. Both ministers highlighted the fact that “all the security conditions for those likely to be sent back had not been met”. They did not evoke the urgent call by the European Court to put a stay on grouped expulsion. About ten requests had, however, been submitted on Monday to the European Court of Human Rights which decided that same day to invoke Article 39 of its regulation (emergency procedure), making it an obligation for France to provisionally renounce charter flights pending detailed review of each complaint. This good news must not conceal the fact that the Afghans have not been given back their human dignity, said Hélène Flautre (Green, France), adding that she expected the authorities to issue these non-expellable persons a permit to stay for humanitarian reasons. “It must not be up to worn-out volunteers to provide shelter and cover for migrants. The public authorities must take over. The European fund for refugees could play a part”, she said. Between 300 and 400 Afghans and other refugees from the Middle East currently live in the Calais region, seeking to illegally board a ferry for Great Britain. Martin Roure took the view that the French decision should be followed up by others, in particular the suspension of transfers to Greece. Many Afghans in fact arrive in France after going through Greece, which has, however, a very low recognition rate of refugee status. “The French government must suspend all transfers to Greece until effective access to asylum procedures is guaranteed”, Martine Roure stressed, invoking in the name of her party the need to recast the Dublin II regulation. “Other repatriation flights will be organised in the future. We must therefore act fast”, the MEP concluded. (B.C./transl.jl)