By Ayhan Simsek
BERLIN (AA) - The German government has prepared a draft legislation to stop the influx of asylum seekers from Balkan countries, sparking fierce criticism from refugee organizations.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Cabinet decided Wednesday to include Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia in the list of "safe countries of origin," claiming that no political persecution, torture, other forms of inhuman and degrading treatment exist in these countries.
The proposed legislation, which still needs to be approved by the parliament, would empower German officials to quickly evaluate asylum applications filed by citizens of these countries and reject the applications of those believed to be seeking merely economic opportunities.
"This move is at least partly a strong populism ahead of European Parliament elections," Bernd Mesovic, deputy director of Pro Asyl refugee rights organization, told the Anadolu Agency.
"It is a kind of a gesture to the right concerning the question of Roma. We feel that there is a strong sentiment of Antiziganism (prejudice against Roma people) in Germany as in many other countries."
In 2013 alone, more than 30 thousand people from Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia applied for asylum in Germany. According to official figures, this constitutes one third of all asylum applications Germany received last year. Only one percent of the applications were accepted.
"These numbers justify this solution," said Germany’s Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on Wednesday, defending government’s plan as a "reasonable" and an "appropriate" measure.
Pro Asyl deputy director Mesovic, however, criticized the government for not consulting human rights organizations before moving forward with this controversial proposal.
"Majority of people applying for asylum from Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia are from Roma minority. We cannot just say that they are applying for asylum is just because of poverty or economic situation," Mesovic said.
"We see that the situation of extreme poverty in these countries may force individual hardships, individual problems that may amount to a kind of a persecution. Cumulative discrimination may amount to a sort of a persecution. This argument is common among European law texts," he said.
Mesovic expressed a widespread concern among refugee organizations that the German government may soon attempt to also add two more Balkan countries, Albania and Montenegro to the "safe countries of origin" list.
Amaro-Foro, a Berlin-based intercultural organization of Roma and non-Roma young people, has criticized the German government for ignoring the discriminatory practices faced by Roma minority in Balkan countries.
"In these countries Roma people face massive, all-encompassing and even at times life-threatening discrimination. Therefore, at least a comprehensive assessment of each individual case must be ensured in the evaluation process of the asylum applications," said Andrea Wierich from the press section of the organization.
"This decision of the federal government violates the fundamental right to asylum,” Wierich told the AA. "It is not acceptable, especially in light of the historical responsibility of Germany towards the Sinti and Roma."
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