German Interior Ministry Accused of Treating Refugees Like 'Contagious Disease'

The German Ministry of the Interior is planning to send migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea back to Africa. The officials believe that the measure will have "an effect of deterrence" as refugees will understand that the European coast cannot be reached, German newspaper Die Welt reported.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior advocates for sending refugees rescued in the Mediterranean Sea to Africa as quickly as possible. This was confirmed by a representative of the ministry to "Die Welt am Sonntag".

"The lack of prospects for reaching the European coast could be a reason for migrants to give up the idea of taking a dangerous journey, risking their lives and spend their money," a representative said.

"The goal is to deprive trafficking organizations of capability to do their business and to protect migrants from the life-threatening journey over the Mediterranean Sea."

At the same time, chairman of the Left Party, Bernd Riexinger, also told the newspaper that such measure is unacceptable. "This would be a humanitarian scandal and a further step towards the abolition of asylum law," he said.

Riexinger also noted that the EU should create legal escape routes to the continent for people fleeing war-torn countries and stressed that the application process should take place in Europe.

"The asylum application process must take place in Germany, because the right to asylum also means access to legal resources, like lawyers, counseling centers, etc.," he said, adding that this would not be the case if applications are filed from abroad. "The handling of refugees in Australia is absolutely unacceptable, and Germany and the EU should not follow the suit," the politician stressed.
[sputniknews.com]
6/11/16