Human rights groups call for France to suspend one in, one out' treaty with UK

"We have filed an appeal with the Council of State against the decree publishing the Franco-British agreement. We challenge the readmission measures provided for in this agreement. These measures do not provide sufficient guarantees to take into account the specific situation of exiles. Furthermore, the one-to-one' approach seems highly questionable and does not sufficiently respect the principle of human dignity."

"Twenty-six asylum seekers have so far been sent back to France. They have fled a range of conflict zones including Eritrea and Iran. One has left France soon after arriving there and his whereabouts are not known. Many are in their teens or early 20s. They say they have been fingerprinted in France in preparation for being forcibly removed to other EU countries under what is known as the Dublin convention."

Fifteen French and UK human rights organisations have filed a legal challenge in France seeking suspension of the one in, one out treaty signed by the UK and France in July. The agreement exchanges one asylum seeker arriving in the UK from France for another chosen in France to come to the UK. Supporters include Utopia 56, Auberge des Migrants, Secours Catholique and Doctors of the World. French lawyer Lionel Crusoe appealed to the Council of State against the decree publishing the agreement, arguing readmission measures lack guarantees for exiles, that the one-to-one approach undermines human dignity, and that the treaty required parliamentary ratification. Twenty-six asylum seekers have been returned to France and report unsafe, difficult conditions and fingerprinting for possible transfer under the Dublin convention.

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