France condemned by the European Court of Human Rights in relation to refugees

Five asylum seekers, including an Iranian, have sued the French government over its treatment of them. The European Court of Human Rights has heard the case and ordered France to pay compensation.

The European Court of Human Rights has condemned France for "degrading treatment" of refugees.

According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine, the EU institution, citing complaints from several migrants, stated that they sleep on the streets, have no access to health facilities, have no means of earning a living, and live in constant fear of being attacked and robbed.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg announced on Thursday, July 2, that in the hearing of this case, it became clear that the French government had not sufficiently "respected" the "dignity" of these refugees in their treatment.

The court initially listed the plaintiffs as five male asylum seekers and said its search for one of the plaintiffs had been unsuccessful. The court ultimately found the three plaintiffs’ claims to be valid and ordered France to pay between 10,000 and approximately 12,400 euros to each of them.

The plaintiffs, who come from Iran, Afghanistan, Georgia and Russia, accuse the French government of withholding funding and providing no support for months.

Tent camp on the outskirts of Paris

The European Court of Human Rights says the plaintiffs had to live in tents on the street while their asylum claims were being processed.

The court stated: "The court has concluded that the French authorities have failed to fulfil their duties towards asylum seekers in accordance with the domestic law of this country."

Most notably in Paris, you can see migrant camps on the outskirts of the city, under bridges or on the side of highways. These migrants depend on aid from aid organizations.

These camps often house more than a thousand people. The tents are constantly dismantled by the police and then re-erected by the migrants.

Source: DW