Back Serbia should end degrading reception conditions for asylum seekers

Commissioner for Human Rights
Nils Muižnieks

Nils Muižnieks

"Serbia needs to strengthen its asylum system and reception capacities in order to cope with the ever increasing number of arrivals, in particular from war-torn Syria. I could witness signs of the current strains on the Serbian asylum system during my November visit in the reception centre of Bogovadja, one of the two asylum centres in the country. Additional efforts are needed in order to ensure that the human rights of every person in need of international protection are fully respected and protected" said today Nils Muižnieks, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, releasing a letter addressed to Prime Minister Dačić.

During his visit in Bogovadja, the Commissioner witnessed that all 160 places were full and, as a consequence, about 230 asylum seekers were living in the nearby forest, in basic shelters such as wooden shacks or tents, with no access to sanitation services. He stresses in his letter that this situation is very serious and requires urgent action by the Serbian authorities. "A first step is to ensure that every asylum seekers in Serbia is accommodated in a place which meets international standards."

The Commissioner notes that Serbian law establishes that registration of asylum seekers should be done in one of the existing two asylum centres. However, a number of persons do not get registered, notably due to these centres' inadequate reception capacity. The Commissioner also observes with particular concern that even registered asylum seekers who submit their application have almost no prospect of being granted refugee status or subsidiary protection. "With only three persons recognised as refugees since 2008, the recognition rate is close to zero in Serbia." (more...)

Press release

Read also:
Serbia and the Council of Europe

Strasbourg 12/12/2013
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