A Joint Statement on the Decisions of Some European Countries Threatening the Principle of Non-refoulement of Refugees
Changes to asylum policies in several European countries may pave the way for a violation of the principle of non-refoulement and the First Protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights
Since the end of 2019, we have witnessed clear changes in the policies of several European countries regarding asylum and especially the reception of Syrian refugees. The reasons for the changes made by the governments of these countries have ranged from reports claiming improved security conditions, which is in clear contradiction to European and international reports, to those which are based on Article 32 of the 1951 Refugee Convention. The latter includes an exception to the principle of non-refoulement and allows the expulsion of a refugee against whom a final ruling has been issued for committing a crime that poses a danger to the society s/he lives in. However, the reli