Amnesty International has accused the Department of Justice of making its procedures for asylum seekers as difficult as possible. Such people are entitled to protection "not as a favour but as a right", the human rights agency has alleged.
The Department was responsible for "callous, cruel treatment of asylum seekers and refugees" in defiance of international law, according to Amnesty's Irish director, Ms Mary Lawlor. For people arriving uninvited to Ireland seeking asylum, the Department had been misnamed, she said. "We don't have a Minister for Justice but rather, where refugees are concerned, a minister for injustice."
Ms Lawlor told the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality and Women's Rights yesterday that Amnesty's main concern was "the absence of a fair, independent and fast procedure for refugees, in a language they understand, with legal assistance, to help them make a very complicated claim for asylum".
In Amnesty's view, there is no guarantee that Irish officials have adequate training and experience in the application of refugee law or the necessary knowledge of the kinds of situations which cause refugees to flee from countries.
With the new procedures introduced in December, Ms Lawlor said an attempt was being made to put as many as possible into a "fast track" application mode but with no right to an independent appeal. The procedures made no mention of access to legal assistance or interpreters. It was wrong, she claimed, that Government representatives and officials "deliberately fudge" the issue of refugees/asylum seekers with illegal immigrants, by not taking the lead in educating the public on the situation and rights of asylum seekers. It was unacceptable that full implementation of the Refugee Act be delayed on the basis of an injunction relating to appointing a refugee applications commissioner.
The negative perception of refugees and asylum seekers, evident with racism and misinformation about how they are treated under social welfare services, could be eliminated by having a fair and independent hearing process in place, she added. A lawyer who works for Amnesty, Ms Noeline Blackwell, said the so-called interim measures were in effect used as a way of keeping people out of Ireland. "People are being refused admission under the Dublin Convention and sent back to other countries when we don't seek assurances they will get a full and fair hearing in that country."
Ms Monica Barnes TD (FG) said it would be cause for dismay if the "fast track" system was being used as alleged by Amnesty.
