12,000 petitioners demand “humane” treatment of Eritreans
Petitioners say the Swiss government should return to a "humane" policy on Eritrean asylum- seekers
Keystone
Some 1,500 Eritreans have demonstrated in the Swiss capital, Bern, and handed a petition of 12,000 signatures to Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga calling for a more humane asylum policy.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SDA-ATS/jc
The move comes after migration authorities said they will re-examine the files of 3,200 of the 9,400 Eritrean asylum seekers admitted to Switzerland on a temporary basis. Following a court ruling last year, they could lose their status and be sent back to Eritrea.
The petition handed on Friday to Sommaruga urges Switzerland to “hear migrants according to criteria that respect its humanitarian tradition, and grant asylum to all asylum seekers who risk ill-treatment in their country”. It calls for this to be done “immediately and retroactively”.
This petition was launched by “Citizen’s Action for an Asylum Policy Worthy of Switzerland”, an umbrella organisation of associations and individuals working with the Eritrean community.
Up to now, Switzerland has not been able to deport Eritreans to their country of origin, but policy on residence permits has been tightened.
The petitioners say the tightening of policy is because of pressure from the conservative right, not a change of situation in Eritrea. They say the main reasons Eritreans flee their country are “human rights violations, the unlimited length of time that military service can last, the consequent lack of perspectives and lack of freedom of expression”.
According to the petition, Eritrea is ruled by a “brutal regime which is regularly denounced, and there are very many testimonies from people who have fled the country of the numerous abuses suffered by the population, as reported by the United Nations and the Swiss government”.
Most Read Swiss Abroad
More
The Böögg, Switzerland’s exploding psychic snowman
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
This content was published on
Primary school children in the Swiss canton of Nidwalden will not be allowed to use mobile phones and other electronic devices..
This content was published on
Switzerland has increased maximum possible output from hydropower by 43 megawatts compared to last year, according to the Swiss energy ministry.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Switzerland could send back 3,200 rejected Eritrean asylum seekers
This content was published on
In August 2017, the Federal Administrative Court ruled that Eritrean nationals who had performed their compulsory military service in their country should not expect to be re-conscripted into the army or face criminal punishment when they return home. The court therefore considered that a return to Eritrea “cannot generally be considered as unenforceable”. Because the…
This content was published on
The risks faced by Eritreans who are sent back to their home country are less substantial than sometimes claimed, a Swiss court has ruled.
NGO slams Swiss deal to repatriate Ethiopian asylum seekers
This content was published on
After years of foot-dragging, the Ethiopian government bowed to European Union (EU) demands last month to repatriate failed asylum seekers. Switzerland has piggy-backed on the agreement, its migration office confirmed to the Tages Anzeiger. + Swiss asylum policy explained Because many asylum seekers arrive in Switzerland without official documents, the Ethiopian secret service has agreed…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.