28 March 2012
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EU-Italy
The EP adopts resolution condemning the mass expulsion of migrants
from Lampedusa and the "lowest common denominator approach"
to asylum
On 14 April 2005, the European Parliament
narrowly adopted a Resolution that condemns Italy for the violation
of human rights in relation to the mass expulsions of migrants
between October 2004 and March 2005. The issues that drew the
concern of the EP include the failure to take precautions to
prevent the expulsion of genuine refugees to Lybia, not allowing
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) access
to the reception centre in Lampedusa, the fate of migrants that
are expelled to Lybia, where there is no asylum system nor effective
respect for refugee rights, where practices of arbitrary arrest,
detention and expulsion occur, and where the conditions under
which expulsions are executed are reported by Lybian sources
to have resulted in 106 deaths. The EP found that the expulsions
from Italy to Lybia (including those on 17 March 2004) are a
violation of Italy's international obligations and of the non-refoulement
principle, and calls on the "Italian authorities and all
Member States to refrain from collective expulsions of asylum
seekers and irregular migrants", to guarantee that asylum
applications are examined individually and to adhere to the non-refoulement
principle. Italy is invited to grant the UNHCR free access to
the Lampedusa reception centre to ascertain whether any people
in need of international protection are detained therein.
The EP calls on the Comission to put a stop to collective expulsion and to insist that Italy and other Member States comply with their obligations under EU law, and goes further, reiterating "its deep reservations about the lowest common denominator approach in the proposal for a Council Directive on asylum procedures (COM(2002)0326)". The Resolution calls on the Commission to conduct a transparent dialogue on this issue, on Lybia to allow access to international observers and to "halt the expulsion and arbitrary arrest of migrants", to ratify the Geneva Convention on Refugees and to make public any readmission agreements it reaches, in an apparent reference to a secret bilateral agreement reached on this issue by Lybia and Italy.
Text of the EP Resolution, dated 14.4.2005, (P6_TA-PROV(2005)0138), provisional edition (in English)
See previous coverage:
1. The
ECHR asks for information on Lampedusa deportations
2. Italy
expels boat-people, the EU turns a blind eye.
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