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.

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

posted in: Eritrea | 0

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.

News Highlights: Human rights report, food crises, Sudan conflict

In this week’s news highlights we will update you about the global human rights situation, Germany’s rising resistance to deport Afghan migrants and recent developments in the Horn of Africa. This includes a media coverage concerning the increasing food crises and controversial cooperation in Sudan to support peace efforts.