Month: March 2017

European Court of Justice decision: no humanitarian visas – a loss for refugees, a win for traffickers

Yesterday, 07 March 2017, the European Court of Justice ruled its decision on humanitarian visas in the European Union and came to the conclusion that member states cannot be obliged to admit asylum seekers on humanitarian grounds, even if they are at risk of torture or inhuman treatment. The court ruled on a on the case of a Syrian family of five from Aleppo. The family initially applied for a visa to Belgium at the Belgian Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon but the Belgian Immigration Office refused the visa because it was clear that the family intended to overstay it.

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Upcoming: side event at the UNHRC – follow up process on the COI report on Eritrea

Next week, on the 13 March 2017, the UN Human Rights Council is holding a side event on the topic The Post-COI Follow-Up Process. The event, which is co-organised by EEPA, will take place at the Palais des Nations, Room XXVII at 10:00 to 11:30 and will reflect on the human rights situation Eritrea and the accountability process since the publication of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea (COI) report in July 2016.

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Two reports call for protection of refugees and migrants along Central Mediterranean Route

In the past week, two reports have highlighted the dangers faced by refugees and migrants on their route to Europe. A report by UNICEF highlights the dangers faced by women and children on the route from North Africa to Italy. A report by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) highlights the desperate situation of many Eritrean refugees, criticising the EU for creating policies to keep them out, along with other migrants and refugees.

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