Commission must act swiftly against violation of migrant human rights

Published on Friday, 02 May 2014 13:09

Two GUE/NGL MEPs took part in a debate today on recent changes to Greek detention law which means asylum seekers can be detained for over 18 months, a clear violation of international law and even the already shameful maximum 18 month limit set by the Return Directive.

Greek GUE/NGL MEP Nikolaos Chountis called for a detailed response from the Commission on the issue and a revision of the Dublin convention, which he described as the heart of the problem.

"You know perfectly well that Greece and other countries take the brunt of migratory flows - solidarity can't just be a word. To address the issue of migration the Greek government has taken inhuman measures like the recent decision on prolonging detention," he said, calling it a "breach of national and EU law".

French MEP Marie-Christine Vergiat called the decision a "betrayal of so-called European values”.

"We want clear and stronger condemnation of these decisions from the Commission. It is urgent to avoid a contagious effect. If we are not moving towards real respect of fundamental rights, it is because member states do not want this and only want financial solidarity. The Commission should act as swiftly on this kind of violation as they do on economic matters," she said.

Originally published: http://www.guengl.eu/news/article/gue-ngl-news/commission-must-act-swiftly-against-violation-of-migrant-human-rights