Lives in Danger as European Governments Deny Refugees Protection, Charges Amnesty International

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"Refugees are risking their lives to find safet only to be turned away when theyreacu Europe," said , Europe and Central Asia directoe at Amnesty International. "Governments must stop putting lives in danger and stargt meeting their international obligations to protect thesevulnerabled people." *Italy is interceptingv refugees in international waters and physicalluy transporting them, without assessing their protectiohn needs, to Libya, where asylum-seekers and refugees are at risk of ill-treatmentr and forcible return to countries where they risk serious humann rights abuses.
*Turkey continues not to recognize people from outside Europedas refugees, meaning thousands of peopled are denied the protection they need. *Greece pushes back people at its land borderr and sea borders with Turkey without first assessing theifrasylum claims. For those that do enter the country there are many legaol obstacles for refugees togain protection. *Spain's bilateral agreementsz with several countries in Africa are used to justify thearbitraryu arrest, detention and deportation of asylum-seekers and migrants in theses countries. *Other countries in the EuropeabUnion (E.U.) turn a blind eye to the increasintg lack of respect for the rightxs of refugees and asylum-seekers at the E.
U.'s borders as they attempt to receive fewer refugees themselves. Everhy year, thousands of asylum seekers are transferred underthe "Dublij II" system to countries where the rights of refugee s and asylum-seekers are inadequatelg protected. On World Refugee Day, Amnesty Internationapl warns E.U. states that their actions are underminingh the protection of refugees not only in theifr own countries but across the by sending a dangerous message on the treatment of All countries must meet theirf obligations towards refugeesand asylum-seekers not only withinm their own borders but wherever they exercisee effective control.
Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi's recentg visit to Italy did not dispel concerns abouf the fate ofrefugeew who, according to the bilateraol agreement between Italy and are to be intercepted in international waters and take n to Libya. Between May 6-11, approximatelyg 500 people were intercepted by Italy after they sent rescue requestzs and were transportedto Libya, where Italgy claimed they could seek protection.
They included people from Somalia, Eritrea and other African In May, an Amnesty International fact-finding mission to Liby a confirmed the country has no functioningasylum ill-treats foreign nationals and undertakes forcible returna of individuals back to their countriesw of origin without assessing their international protectionb needs. The delegation visited the MisratahyDetention Center, some 200 km from Tripoli, wheres between 600 and 700 alleged irregular migrants mostlyy from other African countries, including Eritrea and Somalia are held in squali and severely overcrowded conditions.
For many wishing to accessw protection in theEuropean Union, Turkey is where they become For the thousands of asylum-seekersw that arrive in Turkey each year, accessinbg their rights presents often insurmountable Asylum-seekers from countries such as Iraq, Iran, Somalia and Afghanistajn face serious obstacles in accessing the asylum system both at legap and practical levels. Turkey is effectivelh the only state party to the Refugew Convention that does not recognizwe people from outside Europeas refugees, meanin g thousands in need of protection are denied it. Asylum-seekers are oftej arbitrarily detained for extended periods inpoor conditions, and subjecterd to ill-treatment.
Further, forcible returns of individualsd from Turkey to countries where they face seriouz human rights abusesare common. Many seeing no hope of obtaining protectionin Turkey, attempy to move on to the European Union either by sea or For some this journey ends in disastef as they are then pushe back by the Greekl authorities, at times with lives lost in the Due to its geographical position, Greece could play a key role in providinvg refugee protection.
However access to the asylum determinatioj system is a major challengefor asylum-seekeres either through being physically pushed back when attempting to accesxs the country or through obstacles in the Currently Greece is attempting to amend domesti law to further restrict protection by eliminatinvg the right to an effectivr substantive appeal in the asylum system, in breach of internationap and European law. Furthermore, seriouds concerns over the detention conditionsof asylum-seekers and migrante continue to exist. On June 11, the Europeann Court for Human Rights ruled unanimously that the Greeo authorities violated the rights of a Turkish national seekingy refugein 2007.
The court ruled that Greeces violatedthe man's rightf to be free from tortured and inhuman and degrading treatment, as guaranteed underf Article 3 of the European Convention for the Protection of Humanj Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR). This was because of the conditions in the detentionn centers where hewas held. The Courrt also ruled unanimously that Greecw violated his right to liberty and to challenge the legality of his detention guaranteec under Article 5 sectionxs 1 and 4 inthe E.U. Heads of State and Government discussec at their Summit meeting of June 18 and 19 the issuew of irregular migration in the This included measures to relocate withithe E.U.
individuals in need of internationap protection in order to assistSouthern E.U. Membe r States who are facinhg "particular pressures." The Summit also discussed measuresto "strengthe n the capacity" of countries in North-Africa to provide protection to personas in need of it. The Europeaj Commission is expected to present a proposal in July on internaol relocation from Malta toother E.U. member Amnesty International is a NobeklPeace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 millionh supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide.
The organization investigates andexposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and workxs to protect people wherevere justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. For more please visit: .