{"id":1219,"date":"2014-08-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-08-21T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/%20rroma.org\/22-08-2014-germany-ongoing-debate-about-the-status-of-safe-countries-of-origin\/"},"modified":"2022-08-04T11:42:08","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T10:42:08","slug":"22-08-2014-germany-ongoing-debate-about-the-status-of-safe-countries-of-origin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rroma.org\/fr\/22-08-2014-germany-ongoing-debate-about-the-status-of-safe-countries-of-origin\/","title":{"rendered":"22.08.2014 Germany: ongoing debate about the status of safe countries of origin"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00c7aliskan (2014), general \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsecretary of the German section of Amnesty International, reports on the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tupcoming recognition of Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina as safe \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcountries of origin by the German Federal Assembly. On this occasion, she \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\telaborates on the contradictions behind the concept. According to her, the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tassessment that the countries concerned are free of persecution is not based on \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tin-depth research and analysis, but on statistical findings that there are more \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tapplications for asylum from these states while there is a declining \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trecognition of the applications; and are thus rejected by the courts as being unfounded. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00c7aliskan criticises this practice as a trivialisation of real discrimination taking \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tplace that particularly affects minorities such as Rroma: \u201cThe fact that only a few of the asylum seekers were recognised is not \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ta proof of the \u201csafety\u201d in Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trather a proof that even now the asylum applications are not examined thoroughly. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBecause the human rights situation in the three countries is anything from \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trosy. Especially Rroma are not \u201csafe\u201d from prosecution. They are structurally \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdisadvantaged, living on the margins of society, often literally on the edge of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcities, industrial areas, some families on dumping grounds. Often they are \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvirtually cut off from work, medical care, and the children of reasonable \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\teducation. Moreover, governments do not protect them from racist attacks and \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpoliticians partly stir up prejudices against them.\u201d <\/em>The denial of the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstatus of \u201csafe country of origin\u201d would guarantee a more detailed examination \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof each case and protect the victims more effectively from discrimination and \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpersecution. Admittedly, each case is still assessed in spite of the status of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsafe country of origin, but never as thoroughly and detailed, as it would if the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstatus would not exist. Officially, a country can respect the security and \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trights of minorities. However, this does not mean that this really happens in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\teveryday life and in individual cases, as shocking individual destines show. The \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlegal evidence of an individual experience of discrimination is often difficult \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tto prove, especially when official documents or witnesses are missing.<\/p>\n