Chapel for Europe
Rue Van Maerlant,22-24
Brussels, Belgium, 1040
A new call to EU decision-makers to act upon the illegal pushbacks at the EU border.
For years, many institutions and non-governmental actors, such as the UN Refugee Agency, the UN’s International Organisation for Migration, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Human Rights Watch, have reported on human rights violations at Greek’s borders.
Nevertheless, illegal pushbacks of asylum seekers continue to this day at the EU’s borders. Greek authorities continue to push people back to Turkey illegally.
The law clearly states that anyone seeking protection has the right to apply for asylum and must be given the opportunity to do so. People cannot be sent back across the border without due process and cannot be subjected to violence. Furthermore, while the European Court of Human Rights has ordered Greece to prevent the summary return of asylum seekers stranded at the Turkish border, many asylum seekers are sent back to Turkey illegally, including children.
The situation has been discussed several times by EU institutions and policymakers. However, these incidents continue to occur, and they do not represent isolated incidents. That is why today we are launching a renewed call to EU decision-makers to act upon the illegal pushbacks that are taking place at the EU’s borders.
Panellists
· Annegien Haselager, Artist, www.annegienhaselager.nl
· Fr Alberto Ares SJ, Director, Jesuit Refugee Service Europe
· Dr Ugur Tok, Director, Peace and Justice ASBL, Human Rights Activist
· Ingeborg Beugel, Journalist
· A Member of the European Parliament (TBC)
· A refugee who had experienced a pushback (TBC)
Partner Organisations
Intercultural Dialogue Platform
Chapel for Europe
Platform for Peace and Justice