A committee of Greek judges have refused to send a Syrian asylum seeker back to Turkey, because it is “unsafe for refugees”. The committee also ruled that Turkey does not guarantee the principle of non-refoulement, which forbids returning someone to a country where he or she is at risk of serious human rights violations.
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Earlier in the day, Greek and EU officials sent back 51 refugees to Turkey from Lesbos and Kos islands of Greece, under the EU-Turkey deal that came into force in March.
The EU-proposed migrant cooperation deal claimed that in certain circumstances an expedited procedure of repatriation was legal.
Police said 23 people were sent back to the Turkish port of Dikili on Friday and another 28 to the Turkish port of Gulluk.
The asylum court on Lesvos has so far examined 174 applications by Syrians, of whom 100 have been granted asylum.
“Turkey is not now protecting migrants and refugees to the standards of the refugee convention”, Amnesty spokesman Giorgos Kosmopoulos told the BBC.
“Until it becomes a safe country nobody should be returned there”, Kosmopoulos said.
The European Commission said Wednesday just 1,500 refugees have been redistributed among EU member nations out of a total of 160,000 to be relocated from Greece and Italy by September 2017.
Visa restrictions: Turkish nationals should have access to the Schengen passport-free zone by June.
Turkey EU membership: Both sides agreed to “re-energise” Turkey’s bid to join the European bloc, with talks due by July.
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In a regular report on its emergency relocation scheme, which aims to move refugees from the Mediterranean frontline to the rest of the European Union, the EU executive’s data showed only 563 asylum seekers had been moved since it set the 20,000 target two months ago – only 3 percent of the increase needed. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.
