The European Parliament has approved the European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) Regulation during the Plenary Session and it is now ready for adoption by the Council.
The Resolution, passed on 9 October 2013, calls on Member States and the EU to guarantee safe entry and access to fair asylum procedures in the EU for refugees from Syria, and encourages Member States to address acute needs through resettlement in addition to existing national quotas and through humanitarian admission. The Resolution also urges the EU to continue its funding for humanitarian and non-humanitarian actions in the region and to monitor the distribution of that funding.
The applicant, from Belarus, sought asylum in the Czech Republic in 2006 due to a fear of imprisonment for importing advertisements in support of an opposition candidate in the Belarusian presidential elections. The Czech authorities rejected his original application and three subsequent requests as not credible. His commission of several criminal offences resulted in an expulsion order in 2009. A Rule 39 Interim Measure halted his removal to Belarus in 2010.
The applicant is an Iranian national and former member of the Iranian intelligence services (IRS). His retirement from the IRS in 2006 resulted in the authorities allegedly abducting and imprisoning him, hanging him upside down and beating him, and ordering him to re-join the IRS. This caused him to flee to France, where his application for asylum was dismissed and he was detained pending removal.
The applicant, a former Tajik politician and businessman allegedly experienced state interferences with his business and survived an assassination attempt. He fled to Russia in 2010, where he was detained for the purpose of extradition to Tajikistan on charges of misappropriation, embezzlement and money laundering. The applicant originally complained to the ECtHR that his extradition to Tajikistan would put him at risk of ill-treatment contrary to Article 3, and obtained a Rule 39 Interim Measure halting his extradition.
Monash University has issued a call for papers for an international conference on the challenges faced by asylum seekers in gaining access to international refugee protection.
The conference will take place in Prato, Italy, on 29-30 May 2014. Abstracts should be submitted by 5pm, 8 November 2013 and it is intended that selected papers from the conference proceedings will be published.
The two NGOs have made observations to the CJEU concerning case X, Y and Z v Minister voor Immigratie, Integratie en Asiel (C‑199/12, C‑200/12 and C‑201/12), referred by the Raad van State (Council of State) of the Netherlands, following the Opinion of Advocate General (AG) Sharpston on 11 July 2013. The case involves the asylum applications of three male nationals of Sierra Leone, Uganda and Senegal (X, Y and Z). Each maintains that he has a well-founded fear of persecution in his country of origin based on his undisputed same-sex sexual orientation.
In its judgment of 17 September 2013, D-5705/2010 (German), the the panel of five judges (indicating general significance) assessed recent country of origin information and concluded that situation cannot anymore be considered as one of extreme generalized and widespread violence that would lead to a real risk of inhuman treatment contrary art. 3 ECHR for every person living in Mogadishu. The Court does not mention the recent ECtHR judgment of K.A.B. v Sweden (no. 17299/12) (5 September 2013), in which the Strasbourg court reached the same conclusion.
The Working Group visited detention facilities, including facilities for asylum seekers and migrants in an irregular situation. In their statement, the Group highlighted four main issues of concern: (1) the excessive use of pre-trial detention; (2) a lack of effective legal assistance; (3) deprivation of liberty for very minor offences; (4) detention of asylum seekers and migrants in an irregular situation.
