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This has been the PRO ASYL Website until May 2009. If you are interested in up-to-date information on the work and projects of PRO ASYL, please visit our new homepage at PRO ASYL presents petition to the European ParliamentOn the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, PRO ASYL is presenting a petition to the European Parliament which is addressing the dying of thousands at our outer borders.More than 1500 documented cases of deaths at the doors of Europe over the last 12 months illustrate a serious human rights record. Nearly 30.000 citizens, predominantly from Germany, and human rights organisation from 17 European countries are supporting the petition and are appealing to the European Parliament not to acquiesce in the creation and tolerance of 'human rights free zones' at the borders of the EU. The campaign "Stop the deathtrap" continues. Please join us in signing the petition. On the campaign-webpage: http://www.stop-the-deathtrap.eu/ you can sign online. Asylum Seekers in Greece
"The situation in Greece is out of control"Research into the situation of asylum seekers in Greece Carried out by Karl Kopp, PRO ASYL's Director of European Affairs, from October 20th to 28th 2008 The research focused on the situation of asylum seekers and individuals returned to the Greek capital on the basis of the Dublin II Regulation. Kopp spoke personally to many refugees as well as representatives of civil society, the UNHCR and the Ministry for Health between October 20th and 28th 2008.
PDF Download of the research report PRO ASYL: Stop the deathtrap!Appeal: Year by year thousands die at Europe`s borders: Stop the deathtrap at the EU borders!In search of a dignified life thousands of refugees and migrants die at the borders of Europe. These are people who are driven from their homelands by war, persecution, violence and miserable living conditions. In order to escape they squeeze into tiny boats, hide in lorries, sleep in very basic campsites or in front of high security border controls. Drowning, suffocation or dying of thirst are frequent occurrences. Many die of exhaustion. Germany and other EU states react towards those seeking protection at its borders with armed resistance and deterrence. We demand:
Campaign-Webpage: www.stoppt-das-sterben.eu/en/index.html Appeal "Stop the deathtrap": PDF Download Stop Deportations to Greece!
On February 21, 2008 PRO ASYL has filed a petition with the Petition Committee of the German Federal Parliament, requesting to stop all deportations of asylum-seekers to Greece based on the EU Council Regulation known as Dublin II. There are grave reasons to suspend all deportations:
Following the upsetting reports from Greece Norway has suspended transfers to Greece under the Dublin II regulation as from 7 February 2008 (Decision of the first asylum instance court). Germany refuses to do the same. Asylum-seekers are still deported to Greece. PRO ASYL demands that these deportations are stopped immediately! Greece: Systematic Human Rights AbusesRefoulement at sea, systematic maltreatment and inhumane detention conditions - Representatives of PRO ASYL and the Greek Group of Lawyers for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants examined on two fact-finding missions in July/August and in October 2007 the situation of refugees at the EU external border in the Aegean. The findings reveal serious human rights violations. On Monday 29 October 2007 PRO ASYL and the Greek Group of Lawyers for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants issued an extensive documentation under the heading "The truth may be bitter, but it must be told" in Athens, Frankfurt and Brussels. [Documentation "The truth..."; Download: ~1MB] Information in Greek: Committee for Solidarity with Refugees in Chios Rights on the EdgeThe EU's Common Asylum PolicyOne gets the impression that the aim of the EU's common asylum policy is not to protect refugees, but to protect Europe from refugees. Rather than relieving the burden on the poor regions where the refugees come from, the member states are in the process of shifting responsibility to them. Humanity and the right to asylum are left by the wayside. Day after day, people risk their lives in the attempt to get across the Mediterranean or the Atlantic to Europe. Thousands die because they embark on their voyage in overloaded and non-seaworthy vessels. According to figures from the Spanish authorities, around 6,000 refugees and migrants have died on the way from West Africa to the Canary Islands alone. Implementation of Asylum EU directivesThe German Bundestag voted on June 14th, 2007 on amendments to the Immigration Act. The Act came into force on August 28, 2007. PRO ASYL criticized the package of legislation as an "unconstitutional and isolationist attempt to seal itself off from immigrants and refugees." Among the most obvious flaws in the bill are:
The Iraqi refugee disasterEurope continues to shirk its responsibilityEvery day more than 100 civilians lose their life in Iraq. According to the UN, one out of eight Iraqi is on the run by now. While the situation of Iraqi refugees in the region is becoming increasingly critical, almost all European countries continue to shirk their responsibility to protect these people. Germany does not help actively either. On the contrary, everything possible is done to prevent Iraqi refugees from entering the country, to withdraw granted rights and to prepare deportations to Iraq. "Refugee Stories"<h2 style="margin: 0pt;">A project of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)</h2>
The effect of EU policies and practises on refugees' individual lives and in their communities, rarely receives the attention it deserves. Under the leadership of ECRE - the European Council on Refugees and Exiles - PRO ASYL among partners from twelve Member States took part in the initiative, in which 120 recognised refugees, asylum seekers, and asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected were interviewed. The result is a collection of moving stories illustrating the real life impact of these policies on human beings. The stories - published on the website of the ECRE project - deal with issues currently being debated in the EU: access to the EU; reception; integration; asylum procedure; detention and the Dublin system. The Refugee Stories project was kindly co-financed by the European Refugee Fund. The Italian System of AsylumIn Lawless ZonesThe Italian asylum system is stamped by arbitrariness, denial of rights and isolation - A journey through southern Italy on the tracks of African refugees By Judith Gleitze, Alice Schultz 'Agneddu e sucu e finici u vattiu' - 'Lamb and gravy, and the baptizing's done'. The Sicilian adage means something like the-devil-may-care. And that's how staff members of Villa Exodus, a home for unaccompanied minor refugees in Sicily, are describing the stance of the policemen they have to deal with every day. This governmental attitude is characteristical for the whole situation as it represents the handling of refugees and migrants in southern Italy: They want to get rid of them and they don't care what will become of these people. On the contrary: If the refugees cannot be sent back right away, they are at least supposed to be invisible. Latest Press Releases<h2>December 9, 2008: Human Rights Day</h2>
Appeal to the European Parliament "Stop the death trap at the European Borders!" On the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, PRO ASYL is presenting a petition to the European Parliament which is addressing the most urgent and saddest chapter of the European asylum and migration policy: the dying of thousands at our outer borders. More than 1500 documented cases of deaths at the doors of Europe over the last 12 months illustrate a serious human rights record. [read more] August 3, 2007: Moroccan security forces shoot to killTwo migrants dead, two severely injured as result of European pressure According to reports from Moroccan NGOs, security forces have fired shots at people trying to leave the country by boat in the night of July 30/31 in Laâyoune (South Morocco). Two refugees are supposed to have died, two more severly injured. [read more] June 14, 2007: Bundestag votes on amendment to immigration lawPRO ASYL: Unlawful attempt to seal Germany off The German Bundestag is expected to vote today on amendments to the Immigration Act. PRO ASYL criticizes the package of legislation as an "unconstitutional and isolationist attempt to seal itself off from immigrants and refugees. [read more] June 13, 2007: First dead in Spain during deportation via airPRO ASYL criticizises the European police forces brutal deportation methods and stubborn refusal to learn from previous deaths Osamuyia Aikpitanhi from Nigeria, 23 years old, is the latest victim of brutal deportation methods in Europe. His death on June 9th aboard a scheduled aircraft of the Spanish airline Iberia demonstrates that European police forces are incapable of learning from past casualties. Aikpitanhi died bound and gagged. [read more] June 12, 2007: European Home Secretaries discuss refugee drama on Europe's coastPRO ASYL demands a comprehensive rescue plan for refugees. PRO ASYL calls on the Home Secretaries of the EU countries meeting today in Luxemburg to adopt a comprehensive rescue plan for refugees. In order to put an end to the deaths of refugees on its borders Europe must return to its fundamental values and restore constitutional principles. [read more] June 4, 2007: Malta denies entry even to dead refugeesPRO ASYL asks for sanctions by the EU and a comprehensive rescue plan For three days now, Malta has been idly standing by, watching refugees fighting for their lives in a tuna net. Malta refuses ships with rescued refugees on board. Malta is systematically arresting refugees and migrants. Last weekend, Malta even denied entry to the French warship "Motte-Picquet" which had recovered bodies. May 25, 2007: On the eve of the Home Secretaries' ConferenceA week before their meeting in Berlin on May 31/June 1 PRO ASYL has urgently asked the German Home Secretaries to refrain from deportations to Sri Lanka, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Chechnya. Straight rules to stop deportations are required. [read more] PRO ASYL`s Old WebsiteFurther documents are available on our old homepage under www.proasyl.info.
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