Refugees in Romania – treated ‘Worse than Animals’ in Detention Centres
Posted onBy Dr Gill Gillespie, UK Director and Walton K Martin, US Director
A new article by Voxpublica in Romania interviewed refugees, and the Iranian Refugees Action Network expands on this from the experiences of their refugees in this article.
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Protest in Romania - Stop Torturing Refugees
On 23 March 2012, refugees began a protest outside the Romanian
Immigration Office hoping to highlight what they experience as inhumane
conditions of detention in Romania. In his article for Voxpublica,
Costi Rogozanu, in Romania, spoke to some of the refugees, who were
distributing flyers asking for ‘Solidarity with Refugees’. They
described some of the circumstances they experienced as follows:
Having fled from their home countries such as Iran, because of
persecution, including imprisonment, torture and even rape, these
traumatized refugees hope for a humane reception by the UNHCR and rapid
ongoing settlement to a country of safety. Instead, they report being
sent to detention centres, for example in Otopeni and Arad, and treated
like criminals.According to Voxpublica, refugees say that they are beaten by police in the detention centres on a regular basis, treated ‘worse than animals’ and even subject to tear gas attacks. A refugee detained in the Horia Centre in Arad stated that they are kept in cells which they are only allowed to leave for one or two hours a day. The detention centres do not allow them to go outside, have access to television, nor collect any money their families wish to send them for basic health care and food. Refugees even went on hunger strike to protest for their rights, but on 8 March 2012 were met with riot police wearing face masks and wielding tear gas in locked cells. After the police had rendered refugees completely helpless, they entered the cells and beat everyone. The refugee says in his statement that he sustained a broken hand and bleeding from his nose.
The Iranian Refugees Action Network condemns such action taken against vulnerable refugees who have already been subject to violence and persecution in their countries of origin. We consider that it is the duty of countries such as Romania to provide humanitarian assistance to all refugees including counselling, legal assistance, translation and support until their cases can be heard. What our refugees are reporting to us is that they are held in conditions much worse than those who have been convicted of serious crimes in European countries and the West. This is totally unacceptable and contradicts Romania’s signing in 2006 of the UN Convention to uphold human rights and ensure appropriate conditions for refugees (A/RES/60/251), when they joined the European Union.
Despite this, and the attendance of no less than six delegates at the recent international UNHCR Ministerial Meeting to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees in December 2011, it is noted that Romania was one of the very few countries which did not make any written pledges to improve situations or assistance for refugees http://www.unhcr.org/pages/4d22fd496.html In addition, in contradiction to the Convention adopted in 2006, it appears that Romanian detention centres are not providing access to facilities guaranteed by law, including “legal, medical and social needs and respect for their specificity of religion, philosophy and culture” (GEO 194/2002, article 99, paragraph 2).
Most people detained in these centres are asylum seekers whose applications for resettlement have been rejected, or their documents allowing them to stay in Romania having expired. Cases where people have committed crimes are very rare, almost nonexistent. However, those residents who are forced to be there are deprived of their liberty, have limited access to information and do not know their rights, nor are these explained to them. They are fingerprinted and photographed and the reasons for this also not explained.
There is another, very serious problem for asylum seekers held in Romanian detention centres. As Romanian is usually not their native language, they have limited ability to communicate with those who are detaining them, and certainly not to engage fully with the court system without the aid of translators. In the Iranian Refugees Action Network’s experience, refugees often turn up to court for their hearing, only to find no translators are available and their cases are delayed.
We know of one refugee whose case was even heard in his absence, no translator appointed and no communication forthcoming. On this basis, because he did not know a court hearing was proceeding, and was therefore not present, his case was turned down. This man had been repeatedly tortured by the Iranian regime and suffers physical and psychological scars. He cannot return to Iran as he would be arrested, imprisoned and probably tortured again. Yet the failings of the Romanian refugee system meant that he was thrown out of his detention centre and refused further help, leaving him homeless in sub-zero temperatures and during the worst snow-storm in a decade in Romania for weeks.
Two of our other refugees, who were persecuted for being Christians in Iran, were also subject to delays in court three times because translators were not present. Eventually, a family member flew to Romania from another European country to try to assist one of our refugees, who had been ejected from a detention centre into the same snow-storm with no food and money. When this family member protested about the situation, he was physically assaulted by Romanian police.
While detained, refugees’ psychological traumas can also be worsened by their conditions. They are subject to isolation, lack of communication, imprisonment and physical violence, as highlighted in the article by Voxpublica. Refugees have a right to be resident in detention centres for 18 months only, and the delays caused by lack of translators and the legal system can often take longer than this. Asylum seekers are therefore being forced to live in unacceptable conditions inside and outside the detention centres.
Romania is now part of the European Union, and has signed up to its conventions on humane treatment – and lack of torture – for vulnerable refugees. The Iranian Refugees Action Network is concerned that Romania is disregarding its legal responsibilities.
We argue, as does Voxpublica, that Romania needs to allow, as a matter of urgency, independent observers and journalists entry on a regular basis to their detention centres to monitor the living conditions of refugees, and provide recommendations for change.
URL: https://iranian-refugees.com/2012/04/05/refugees-in-romania-treated-worse-than-animals-in-detention-centres/
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Costi Rogozanu
“Suntem trataţi mai rău ca animalele”. Protest “Solidaritate cu migranţii” la Oficiul pentru Imigrări
vezi toate articolele de Costi Rogozanu21 Mar 2012 la 08:43 un comentariu 1044 vizualizari.__________________________________________
La ora la care am vorbit cu protestatarii (8.30), deja aveau loc discuţii cu jandarmii. Vă ţin la curent. S-au distribuit fluturaşi, au trimis un comunicat:
Grupul de inițiativă „Solidaritate cu migranții”
Comunicat de presă - 21.03.2012
În această dimineață transformăm cladirea Oficiului Român pentru Imigrări din strada Eforie
nr. 3-5 într-un centru de detenție. Astfel, tragem un semnal de alarma față de situatia din închisorile pentru migranți aflate in subordinea acestei instituții. Milităm pentru transparentizarea procedurilor de detenţie a cetăţenilor străini cazaţi în Centrele de luare în custodie publică de la Otopeni şi Arad, pentru respectarea acestora ca fiinţe umane, demne şi integre. Protestul se va incheia inainte de ora 8.30, atunci când începe programul de lucru cu migranții.
În data de 8 martie 2012 deţinuţii din centrul Horia (Arad), au transmis un comunicat care descrie tratamentele la care sunt supuşi şi condiţiile detenţiei :
“Suntem tratati mai rau ca animalele. Politistii din centru ne lovesc, ne bat. Se intampla des. De exemplu, marţea aceasta, 6 martie 2012, politistii au vrut sa foloseasca gazul lacrimogen impotriva unei persoane de aici din motive pe care nu le cunoastem. L-au dus jos in celula de izolare pentru a-l lovi. L-am auzit tipand din celulele noastre. Suntem inchisi 24 de ore din 24. Avem dreptul de a iesi pe hol doar 1-2 ore pe zi. Nu ni se permit plimbarile afara, nu avem acces la televizor, nu putem primi bani de la familiile noastre prin Western Union. Primim mereu acelasi fel de mancare. Nu avem acces la nici un medic. Daca ne imbolnavim, nu putem face nimic. In acest moment mai multi dintre noi avem mancarimi de piele pe care le suportam cu greu, insa nu primim nici un fel de ingrijire. In urma cu ceva timp am vrut sa facem greva foamei pentru a spune ca nu mai suportam. Ne-am cerut drepturile. In acea zi au chemat pentru intariri jandarmi ce purtau cagule pe fata. Eram inchisi in celule si au dat cu gaz lacrimogen prin fereastra mica a usii. Dupa aceea au deschis usa si ne-au batut pe toti. I-au rupt mana si nasul unui detinut. Din aceste cauze avem probleme cu nervii, nu mai putem. Trebuie sa traiesti acest calvar pentru a-l intelege.”
Măsura luării în custodie publică a străinilor care nu au/nu mai au un drept de şedere valabil în România, se referă la restrângerea temporară a libertăţii de mişcare a acestora, fiind în esenţă diferită, însă în practică identică, cu măsura lipsirii de libertate. Centrele de luare în custodie publică au regim închis, fiind aproape total netransparente în ceea ce priveşte tratamentul migranţilor şi modul în care aceştia au acces la facilităţile garantate prin lege, respectiv: “asistenţă juridică, medicală şi socială şi la respectarea opiniei şi specificului propriu, în materie religioasă, filozofică şi culturală.” (O.U.G. 194/2002 privind regimul străinilor în România, art. 99, alin. 2)
Marea majoritate a persoanelor cazate în aceste centre sunt foşti solicitanţi de azil cărora le-a fost respinsă solicitarea sau persoane cărora le-au expirat documentele de şedere în România. Cazurile de persoane care au comis infracţiuni sunt foarte rare, aproape inexistente. Cu toate acestea, cei cazaţi în aceste centre sunt privaţi de libertate, nu au acces la informaţii şi nu îşi cunosc drepturile, sunt amprentaţi, fotografiaţi, mulţi dintre ei neştiind care sunt motivele pentru care se află acolo şi pentru care sunt supuşi acestor tratamente.
Aceştia nu pot comunica cu cei care îi supraveghează decât prin intermediul translatorilor autorizaţi de ORI, care rareori sunt prezenţi în aceste centre. Şi comunicarea cu exteriorul este limitată, aceştia având voie să folosească telefonul mobil doar câteodată, iar telefoanele mobile cu acces la internet sau cameră foto/video le sunt confiscate din momentul intrării în centru. Condiţiile proaste de cazare, alimentaţia săracă, lipsa accesului la servicii medicale adaptate nevoilor individuale ale oamenilor, reprezintă doar o faţetă a tratamentului la care sunt supuşi aceşti oameni. Cealaltă faţetă este reprezentată de drame de natură psihologică ale unor oameni care ajung să fie supuşi unor tratamente degradante (izolare, lipsa comunicării, privare de libertate, iar uneori chiar şi violenţe fizice), doar ca măsură administrativă în vederea restrângerii libertăţii lor de mişcare până la momentul expulzării, durata maximă legală a şederii unei persoane în aceste centre fiind de 18 luni.
Plasarea migranţilor în aceste centre, cat şi tratamentele inumane şi degradante la care sunt supuşi reprezintă o încălcare a drepturilor omului şi a drepturilor fundamentale promovate de Uniunea Europeană. Revendicam accesul în aceste centre a cât mai multor persoane care lucrează cu migranţii sau a jurnaliştilor, fapt ce ar garanta atât monitorizarea condiţiilor de trai ale migranţilor cât şi informarea de care aceştia trebuie să beneficieze pentru a putea acționa în cunoştinţă de cauză. Şi nu în ultimul rând, insistam ca aceste persoane să fie respectate, iar faptul că nu au comis nici un act de natură penală, să reprezinte punctul de plecare pentru reconsiderarea tratamentului aplicat acestora pe teritoriul României şi al Uniunii Europene.
www.facebook.com/costi.rogozanu
URL: http://voxpublica.realitatea.net/politica-societate/suntem-tratati-mai-rau-ca-animalele-protest-solidaritate-cu-migrantii-la-oficiul-pentru-imigrari-76190.html
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URL: http://protect-refugees.blogspot.com/2014/04/refugees-in-romania-treated-worse-than.html
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