Organizations dealing with the issues of asylum seekers and refugees in Estonia are calling for the state to allow independent observers to Estonian borders. Estonian Human Rights Centre, Estonian Refugee Council and Johannes Mihkelson Centre find that the low number of asylum seekers in Estonia compared to the neighbouring countries with similar situation might be caused by Police and Border Guard Board’s officials not giving persons the opportunity to ask for asylum on the border.
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During the past few years many asylum seekers have let Estonian Human Rights Centre know about the fact that their asylum application was not heard on the Estonian border and the necessary proceedings were not commenced. Both Estonian Human Rights Centre as well as Johannes Mikelson Centre, who offer the service of support persons to refugees with the co-financing of European Refugee Fund and Estonian Ministry of Interior, were recently approached by a person who claimed that his asylum plea was not heard on Estonian border and he was sent back to Russia.
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“A Syrian citizen contacted us a few days ago and told that he was not let into Estonia although he had directly asked for asylum,” said Juhan Saharov, the Head of the Support Person Service at Johannes Mihkelson Centre. “State should not limit access to asylum proceedings arbitrarily because it is a violation of human rights and it is in conflict with Estonian as well as international rules,” said Kari Käsper, the Executive Director of Estonian Human Rights Centre. “Not initiating asylum proceedings might pose a serious threat to a person’s life.”
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“A Syrian citizen contacted us a few days ago and told that he was not let into Estonia although he had directly asked for asylum,” said Juhan Saharov, the Head of the Support Person Service at Johannes Mihkelson Centre. “State should not limit access to asylum proceedings arbitrarily because it is a violation of human rights and it is in conflict with Estonian as well as international rules,” said Kari Käsper, the Executive Director of Estonian Human Rights Centre. “Not initiating asylum proceedings might pose a serious threat to a person’s life.”
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In the practice of the asylum seekers legal clinic at Estonian Human Rights Centre, which is also co-financed by ERF and Estonian Ministry of Interior, there are only rare cases in which the asylum application has happened on border. In most cases the asylum application is submitted after legally or illegally entering Estonia.
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“In case of such serious allegations there is often a situation where official’s word will be against the word of the asylum seeker,” told Kristi Toodo, the Director of the Refugee Programme at Estonian Human Rights Centre. “Independent observer would help finding the truth in situations like that and it would provide greater assurance that the law is upheld at the border.”
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Neighbouring countries Latvia and Lithuania have introduced independent border monitoring with the help of NGOs in 2011 and 2010 when an impartial organization UNHCR received the permission to monitor the borders. Estonian Ministry of Interior has so far refused the any independent monitoring at Estonian borders.
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