April 22, 2015

Denouncement – refugee transferred by the Greek Police to the consulate of her country of origin in breach of Geneva Convention

O.A., citizen of Turkey, applied on 16.04.2015 for asylum due to the persecution she has faced and is in danger of facing by the Turkish authorities for reasons of her political beliefs.

Since then she is being held at the detention facilities in Elliniko and the Greek authorities, instead of proceeding with the examination of her asylum application, releasing her and informing her about the applicable procedure, transferred her today surprisingly to the Turkish consulate in order to deport her.

We denounce the transfer of the above asylum applicant to the consulate of her country of origin as an act that constitutes blatant violation of the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

These actions encroach gravely on the rights of refugees, breach the principle of non-refoulement and expose their lives to danger.