STRASBOURG, France: The Council of Europe urged its 46 member states on Thursday not to outsource the processing of asylum seekers to third countries, saying these people risked being tortured or killed.
Several European nations have begun outsourcing the handling of asylum seekers to countries outside the European Union.
They include Italy, whose hard-right government opened migrant reception centers in Albania that have now morphed into repatriation outfits.
“Externalization policies might result in people being subjected to torture or other ill-treatment, collective expulsions and arbitrary detention or may put their lives in danger,” said the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty.
“Such policies might also hinder effective access to asylum and deprive individuals of legal remedies,” he said.
