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Denmark sends hundreds of asylum seekers to uncertain fate in Greece
16.09.10
Source: www.danishdeminingroup.dk

The Danish authorities have chosen to forcefully return hundreds of asylum seekers to Greece despite the fact that the Greek asylum system has collapsed and is not providing protection to refugees. The Danish Refugee Council has stopped the return of 15 asylum seekers through the European Court of Human Rights and the effort continues.
The Danish authorities have resumed the forced returns to Greece - a practice that have been stopped due to lack of guarantees of their access to asylum procedures by the Greek authorities. The first group of asylum seekers was sent out Thursday 9th of September. This happens despite abuse, lack of access to asylum procedures and the possibility of returns to persecution in Afghanistan and elsewhere. The situation in Greece is well documented by the UN, EU and several international NGOs.

"I have worked with refugees for 30 years and this is one of the worst things I have experienced. These people have no protection against possible persecution, if the Danish Refugee Council and the European Court of Human Rights do not intervene. We must therefore respond and do our utmost to prevent the expulsion of the asylum seekers who are at risk, "says Andreas Kamm, Secretary-General of the Danish Refugee Council.

The Danish Refugee Council is working hard to present cases to the European Court of Human Rights, but the case pressure is massive, and hundreds of asylum seekers at risk of forced expulsion.

"We cannot live with the fact that asylum seekers end up in their home country if they are persecuted. When neither the Danish nor the Greek authorities will take responsibility, the Danish Refugee Council and the Court of Human Rights have to act. We are currently reviewing hundreds of cases and we expect approximately 150 new cases each month. Our lawyers are exposed to a great pressure, and therefore we are trying to mobilize volunteer counselors among lawyers and law students who can help us, "says Andreas Kamm.

The EU's Dublin Regulation determines that an asylum case is dealt with in the first EU country the asylum seeker is registered in. Positioned in the Mediterranean, Greece is the primary entry point for asylum seekers and migrants coming to Europe.150,000 asylum seekers estimated to arrive in the country each year.

"Greece has a huge problem, and the asylum system has broken down. Thousands of asylum seekers are living on the streets without access to help - they are exposed to violence and abuse from both authorities and extreme factions, and they have no access to get their asylum cases reviewed. Ultimately, they risk being sent home to the persecution they originally fled. It is in flagrant contradiction with the Refugee Convention, "says Andreas Kamm.

Greece registers 20,000 asylum seekers each year, but there is only room for approximately 1,000 at their asylum facilities. 45,000 pending cases are currently awaiting decisions, and only about 400 asylum seekers a year receive asylum.