EU summit: plans to contain refugee movements must be stopped!

New cooperation to repel refugees

Accor­ding to the draft con­clu­si­ons of the Euro­pean Coun­cil, third count­ries will be forced to stop migra­ti­on to Euro­pe and to read­mit pro­tec­tion see­kers. In regard to the so-cal­led „effec­ti­ve incen­ti­ves“ it says open­ly: „To remain part­ners of the EU, third count­ries must also coope­ra­te on read­mis­si­on and return.“ The pres­su­re on count­ries of ori­gin and tran­sit is being increased fur­ther with the new­ly plan­ned „Part­ner­ship Frame­work“. The rele­vant draft was published by the EU Com­mis­si­on on June 7^th 2016.

Asylum is to become unattainable

By coope­ra­ting with count­ries like Eri­trea, Soma­lia, Libya and the Sudan, the EU turns its back on the pro­tec­tion of refu­gees. This cau­ses a chain reac­tion. Asyl­um in Euro­pe is to beco­me unat­tainable for asyl­um see­kers. Espe­ci­al­ly from count­ries like Eri­trea and Soma­lia, per­sons with a gre­at need for pro­tec­tion are fle­e­ing to Euro­pe. In coope­ra­ting with count­ries like Sudan, Libya and others the EU also takes respon­si­bi­li­ty for serious human rights vio­la­ti­ons that take place there.

No cooperation with Libya!

PRO ASYL rejects the expan­si­on of mili­ta­ry ope­ra­ti­ons in the Medi­ter­ra­ne­an, which are to include the Ger­man mili­ta­ry. It can be suspec­ted that the coope­ra­ti­on with Liby­a’s coast guard is to ser­ve the pur­po­se of pul­ling refu­gees back to Libya. The Ger­man mili­ta­ry is to assist, kno­wing that this will lead to new human rights vio­la­ti­ons against refugees.

Accor­ding to reports from Amnes­ty Inter­na­tio­nal, pro­tec­tion see­kers in Libya are being arres­ted arbi­tra­ri­ly, dis­re­gar­ding their human rights. Refu­gees are being mistrea­ted and tor­tu­red, seve­ral detenti­on cen­ters are being con­trol­led by militi­as. In their respon­se (BT Druck­sa­che 18/8593) to an inquiry by the lef­tist par­ty „Die Lin­ke“ the Ger­man govern­ment its­elf declared that the con­di­ti­ons of refu­gees and migrants in Liby­an detenti­on cen­ters are very bad (ques­ti­on 21, c page 11).

Stop the EU-Turkey deal!

Fol­lo­wing the draft reso­lu­ti­on at hand, reports by human rights orga­niza­ti­ons regar­ding human rights vio­la­ti­ons aimed at pro­tec­tion appli­cants in Tur­key are sim­ply being igno­red. PRO ASYL again calls on the Euro­pean Coun­cil, based on the first prac­ti­cal expe­ri­en­ces, to stop depor­ta­ti­ons to Tur­key. Con­tra­ry to the pro­mi­ses, hundreds have been arres­ted vio­la­ting their human rights in Tur­key. Uti­li­zing the thre­at of pro­lon­ged inc­ar­ce­ra­ti­on, asyl­um see­kers have been forced to agree to their sup­po­sedly vol­un­t­a­ry emigration.

Out of sight, out of mind

PRO ASYL, tog­e­ther with Bread for the World and med­ico inter­na­tio­nal, has again and again vehe­men­t­ly cri­ti­ci­zed the Euro­pean poli­cy of exter­na­li­zing bor­der con­trols: it leads to serious vio­la­ti­ons of human rights of pro­tec­tion see­kers and migrants. The orga­niza­ti­ons affirm in a joint posi­ti­on paper: the repres­si­ve defen­si­ve atti­tu­de towards refu­gees is unac­cep­ta­ble from a human rights per­spec­ti­ve. Accor­ding to the mot­to „out of sight, out of mind“ Euro­pe’s poli­cy of exter­na­liza­ti­on aims to con­ce­al refu­gees, migrants, the rights vio­la­ti­ons com­mit­ted against them and the real cau­ses of flight and displacement.