European court condemns Germany for deportation of Syrian asylum seeker to Greece

By Esra Taskin

PARIS (AA) - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled against Germany on Tuesday over the deportation of a Syrian asylum seeker to Greece, finding that German authorities failed to guarantee the man’s rights and subjected him to mistreatment.

The court ordered Germany to pay €8,000 ($8,719) in damages, while Greece was also fined for violating the European Convention on Human Rights.

The case concerns a Syrian refugee, born in 1993, who initially fled to Greece in 2018 before traveling to Germany.

Upon his arrival in Germany, he requested asylum, but was deported back to Greece the same day under the EU’s Dublin Regulation, which determines the member state responsible for processing asylum applications.

The court found that Germany failed to ensure that the man would receive an adequate asylum procedure upon his return to Greece.

After deportation, the man was held in a Greek police station for over two months under poor conditions.

The ECHR stated that this detention violated Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits inhuman and degrading treatment.

The ruling highlighted ongoing concerns regarding Greece's treatment of migrants.

The Council of Europe, the umbrella organization that includes the ECHR, has repeatedly criticized Greece’s handling of refugees.

A report from the Council’s Committee against Torture in July urged the Greek government to significantly improve conditions in refugee shelters.

This decision is the latest in a series of legal actions addressing the treatment of asylum seekers within Europe, underscoring the court’s role in protecting human rights across its 47 member states.

Both Germany and Greece, although members of the EU, are also subject to the independent jurisdiction of the Council of Europe, which remains committed to upholding human rights standards across the continent.