Stadig flere sendes hjem i charterfly, hvortil offentligheden ikke har adgang – det sker bl.a. fordi mange kommercielle flyselskaber ikke vil stå for transporterne på normale rutefly – anklager om dybe sår fra håndjern og anden brug af vold. JOHANNESBURG, 10 April 2013 (IRIN): Cases of excessive (umådeholden /overdreven) force being used to remove rejected (afviste) asylum seekers have been documented in a number of European countries. But with the financial crisis eroding sympathy and tolerance for asylum seekers, there has been little public or political support for measures that would provide more humane approaches to removing those reluctant to accept an asylum rejection. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the forced removal of failed asylum seekers “should be undertaken in a humane manner, with full respect for human rights and dignity, and that force, should it be necessary, should be proportional and undertaken in a manner consistent with human rights law”. A directive on common standards and procedures for returning irregularly staying migrants, adopted by the European Parliament in 2008, included a provision requiring that member states implement an effective system for monitoring forced returns. According to a study funded by the European Commission, by 2011, the majority of European Union countries had such a system or were in the process of implementing one. But the systems vary widely between countries, both in terms of who does the monitoring and what they monitor. Inconsistent oversight For example, in the NETHERLANDS – where incidents of excessive force being used on deportees are rare, according to the Dutch Refugee Council – an independent commission oversees the entire forced return process and guidelines are in place for the allowed use of force. In FRANCE, monitoring only occurs during the pre-return stage or if a return attempt “fails”, either because of a last-minute legal intervention or because the pilot or crew on a commercial flight refuse to take the returnee. In the latter case, the returnee is sent back to a detention centre where one of five NGOs contracted by the home affairs ministry has a presence. Christophe Harrison, from one of the NGOs, France Terre d’Asile, told IRIN that these returnees regularly report excessive use of force by police escorts during attempted removals. But it was difficult to know the real extent of the problem because “either they are effectively removed to their [home] country or they physically oppose their removal and are then often brought before a criminal judge, who usually condemns them to two to three months in prison.” Lack of independent oversight is of particular concern when returns are conducted on charter flights carrying only deportees and their guards. Frontex, the EU’s joint-border agency, has made increasing use of charter flights to remove rejected asylum seekers from several different European countries. “With the charter flights, the level of restraint (tvang) is even higher than on the commercial flights, but there are no witnesses,” said Lisa Matthews, from the UK-based National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns. Behind closed doors Læs videre på http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97815/Europe-s-forced-returnees-claim-abuse
