Case summaries

Germany – Higher Administrative Court Lüneburg, 12 December 2017, 13 PA 222/17

Usually it does not infringe the constitutional right of equality nor the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, when the residence permit of a disabled foreign national is restricted on grounds of a lack of independent secured livelihood pursuant to §§ 25 (5) 1, 12 (2) 2 German Residence Act.

Date of decision: 12-12-2017
ECtHR - M.S.A. and Others v. Russia, Applications No. 29957/14, 29961/14, 53980/15, 10583/16, 10796/16, 10803/16, 19980/16, 35675/16 and 38237/16, 12 December 2017

The detention conditions experienced by two Syrians in the Krasnoye Selo facility amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment in breach of Article 3 ECHR. Moreover, the length of detention in most of the applicants’ cases was between eleven and fifteen months, which exceeded what was reasonably required for the purpose of administrative expulsion.  Furthermore, they had no access to judicial and periodic review of their continued detention. A violation of Articles 5(1)(f) and 5(4) were found.

Date of decision: 12-12-2017
ECtHR - S.F. and Others v. Bulgaria, Application No. 8138/16, 7 December 2017
Country of applicant: Iraq

The ECtHR reviewed if the detention of a family with three children in a border police’s detention facility would be considered as a breach of Article 3 ECHR.

Date of decision: 07-12-2017
Portugal: Svetlana v. Immigration and Borders Service, 6 December 2017 No. 1526/17.2BELRS
Country of applicant: Russia

The applicant had fled from Russia and sought international protection from Portuguese authorities.

The request was later denied by the Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service, after issuing a take charge request directed to Finland, the responsible State for the assessment of the applicant’s request according to the DRIII, based on her possession of a short stay visa in Finland.

Date of decision: 06-12-2017
Spain: National Court. Chamber of Contentious-Administrative Proceedings n. 5177/2017, 5th December 2017, Appeal No. 234/2017
Country of applicant: Gambia

When examining the acceptance of an asylum claim, the authorities have to study whether the testimony of the applicant is based on presumably true facts. Only if it is manifestly false could the admission of this application be denied.

The principle of family unity has to be taken into account regarding the assessment of the circumstances of the applicant, especially since his sister’s application for international protection was accepted.

Date of decision: 05-12-2017
Denmark - Refugee Appeals Board’s decision of 1 December 2017
Country of applicant: Somalia

The complainant is a Sunni Muslim from Mogadishu, Somalia. In July 2015 the Danish Immigration Service decided that his subsidiary protection status under the Danish Aliens Act. Art. 7 (2) had lapsed according to the Danish Aliens Act Art. 17 (1) and (4). The Refugee Appeals Board did not consider that the Danish Immigrations Service had lifted its burden of proof according to the Danish Aliens Act Art 17 (4). Consequently, the Board granted the complainant continued subsidiary protection under the Danish Aliens Act Art. 7 (2).  

Date of decision: 01-12-2017
Denmark - the Refugee Appeals Board’s decision of 1 December 2017
Country of applicant: Somalia

The complainant is an ethnic Galadi and a Muslim from Afgoye, Somalia. On 6 April 2017, the Danish Immigration Service decided not to prolong the complainant’s subsidiary protection under the Danish Aliens Act Art. 11 (2), cf. Art. 19 (1) no. 1 and Art. 19 (7) cf. Art. 26 (1).

After an overall assessment of the country of origin information the Board found that a deportation of the complainant to Afgoye no longer constitutes a violation of Denmark’s international obligations including ECHR article 3. However, regarding the assessment under the Aliens Act article 26, the Board found that due to the applicant’s economic, linguistic and social integration the Immigration Service’s decision to end the applicant’s subsidiary protection was incorrect. Thus the Board decided to uphold his subsidiary protection under the Danish Aliens Act Art. 7 (2).

Date of decision: 01-12-2017
Denmark - The Refugee Appeals Board’s decision of 30 November 2017
Country of applicant: Eritrea

The Refugee Appeals Board reversed the Danish Immigration Service decision to Dublin Transfer a female asylum seeker and her two minor children to Italy. The Board found that a transfer to Italy could amount to a breach of Article 4 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights as reception conditions in Italy are subject to certain shortcomings and the asylum seeker and her two minor children were considered to be extremely vulnerable. 

Date of decision: 30-11-2017
ECtHR - Boudraa v Turkey, Application no. 1009/16, 28 November 2017
Country of applicant: Algeria

The Court found that the conditions under which the applicant was detained between 3 November 2013 and 7 January 2014 at the Yalova police headquarters, exceeded the unavoidable level of suffering inherent in detention and attained the threshold of degrading treatment proscribed by Article 3. 

Date of decision: 28-11-2017
France – Council of State, 24 November 2017, nº 403139

The National Court for the Right of Asylum (CNDA) has a responsibility to follow the general rules on closing files. Where this is not done, the Court can be found negligent.  

Date of decision: 24-11-2017