Red Cross Societies appeal for safe and legal ways to access EU territory

12th November 2013 | News

 Speaking at the conference “Shifting EU borders and the access to international protection”, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Cecilia Wikström regretted that “[t]he EU asylum system is only accessible for those who manage to reach the European Union...

Western Balkans countries pressured to restrict their citizens’ right to leave their country

12th November 2013 | News

“The EU externalisation of border control policies has a deleterious effect on human rights, in particular the right to leave a country, which is a prerequisite to the enjoyment of other rights – most importantly, the right to seek asylum”, Commissioner for...

Hope and criticism following CJEU ruling on claims from LGBTI asylum seekers

12th November 2013 | News

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) declined in its ruling in X, Y and Z that the criminalisation of consensual same-sex activity, as such, constitutes ‘persecution’ for the purposes of EU asylum law. In its judgment, the CJEU ruled that asylum seekers...

A Day to Celebrate – Lesbian and Gay Refugees Can No Longer Be Told to ‘Go Home and Hide’ – By Neil Grungras, ORAM Executive Director

12th November 2013 | News

A month ago, ORAM – Organisation for Refuge, Asylum & Migration – was proud to become  a member of ECRE. As the only ECRE member dedicated exclusively to advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI) refugees, ORAM works with partners...

Interview with Hesham Issa, AMERA Egypt Country Director

8th November 2013 | News

Syrian refugees in Egypt ©Amnesty InternationalEgypt unlawfully detains hundreds of Syrian and Palestinian refugees in police stations in and around Alexandria. Conditions are overcrowded and dirty. “In Egypt, Syrians in detention are forced to sign declarations...

Pro Asyl accuses Greece of systematically pushing back refugees at the Greek-Turkish border

8th November 2013 | News

Refugees attempting to cross the EU’s external borders with Turkey are systematically pushed back from Greek territorial waters, the Greek islands and from the land border. The accounts of 90 refugees who were illegally pushed back are detailed in a new report...

UNHCR releases guidance for States receiving asylum seekers from Syria

4th November 2013 | News

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has released a new guidance note entitled ‘International Protection Considerations with regard to people fleeing the Syrians Arab Republic, Update II’. UNHCR characterizes the flight of civilians from Syria as a refugee movement and...

Amnesty International: hundreds trying to escape the conflict in Syria turned back at the Jordanian border

4th November 2013 | News

According to a new report published today by Amnesty International, the Jordanian authorities are not keeping their borders open to all individuals fleeing the conflict in Syria. Amnesty’s research shows that Palestinian refugees from Syria, unaccompanied men who...

2013 Edition of Austrian Red Cross/ACCORD’s Training Manual ‘Researching Country of Origin Information’ published

4th November 2013 | News

A new edition of the training manual ‘Researching Country of Origin Information’ has been published this week by the Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation (ACCORD), a department of the Austrian Red Cross. The training manual...

EASO report shows an increase of applications by Chechen asylum seekers in the second quarter of 2013

4th November 2013 | News

The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) has published its second quarterly report for 2013. It  shows that the total number of asylum applicants in the EU, Norway and Switzerland rose by 18% (112,030) compared to the first quarter of 2013 and highlights that...