Press Release: Justice  23 May 2006

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23 May 2006

Green Party repeats call for review of Asylum Process

 - as Amnesty warns of future 'flashpoints' 

The Green Party has reiterated its call for a review of the asylum process in Ireland to be carried out.  Amnesty International’s Annual Report 2006, published today, indicates that as long as the Government continues to hold asylum seekers in temporary accommodation without access to education or employment for long periods of time, ‘flashpoints’ similar to the recent hunger strike by Afghani men will continue to occur.   

Green Party Justice spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD said: “There are a number of areas in the system which remain unsatisfactory.  For example, the Refugee Appeals Tribunal is famous for the secrecy under which it operates and the lack of transparency surrounding its decision making process.  The Minister appoints the members of the Tribunal and there is no independent selection or interview procedure.  The Tribunal is at variance with similar bodies in other countries in that it does not publish its decisions or release any statistics on the records of individual members.  It is time that this veil of secrecy is lifted from the refugee appeals system.   

“Furthermore, the system of direct provision which disallows asylum seekers from working should be reviewed.  If allowed to work, earn a wage and interact with the rest of the community perhaps asylum seekers such as the Afghan men would not feel so isolated. 

“We need an asylum system that is completely transparent and equitable so that we never have a repeat of last week’s stand-off.  It is also vital that the United Nations Convention against Racism be incorporated into Irish law without delay.” he concluded.