March 30 () –
The Committee for the Prevention of Torture of the Council of Europe has denounced in a report the ill-treatment inflicted at the border by the authorities of European countries, for example with ‘hot returns’, and has particularly alerted the border situation in EU countries.
The committee recognizes the right of each State to control its borders, the “complex” challenges that this sometimes entails, especially for those countries that, due to their geographical position, are especially exposed to the arrival of migrants, such as those located in the route of the Balkans or open to the Mediterranean.
The president of said body, Alan Mitchell, has warned that the challenges that may exist “does not mean that (countries) can ignore their obligations in terms of Human Rights.” The expulsions are illegal, unacceptable and must end “, he has claimed, in an appeal for safeguards to protect intercepted migrants and” prevent any type of mistreatment “.
From the Council of Europe they demand a European approach, after detecting in recent years a “clear pattern” that calls into question the actions of national authorities both on land and at sea. Among the complaints collected there are cases of alleged mistreatment, use of live fire, removal of clothing, or expulsion to potentially dangerous areas.
In the case of detention centers, the committee has also warned that “often” conditions are “extremely bad”, which generates “particular concern” when it comes to families with children, unaccompanied minors and people with disabilities. . Some of these conditions, the report notes, “could amount to inhuman or degrading treatment.”
On-site visits carried out by representatives of the Council of Europe have also found that “very few” investigations into the alleged abuses have been carried out and the few that have been carried out “are not usually effective”. For this reason, the committee has called for disciplinary or even criminal measures against those who exceed the repression of migrants, for which it has proposed the establishment of independent monitoring bodies.
The head of Amnesty International for Europe, Eve Geddie, stressed in a statement that the Council of Europe report adds to the “growing mountain of evidence” that accounts for the “systematic” abuses perpetrated against migrants at the borders and confirms the “thousands” of testimonies collected by the NGO.
