Sir, - Carol Coulter's account of appeals by asylum seekers to the Independent Appeals Authority (The Irish Times, June 16th) makes one feel that our legal treatment of asylum seekers is gradually improving. However, this welcome transparency of the Independent Appeals Authority must be seen in the overall context of how Europe treats people seeking asylum from outside its jurisdiction.
On May 28th last a 30-year-old Sudanese asylum-seeker, Amir Ageeb, died after a struggle with German policy who were forcing him onto a Lufthansa flight for Cairo. As a result of the outcry in Germany over Amir's death, all deportations have been temporarily suspended. However, many non-EU nationals, most of whom lie in German jails, have not been released and are still awaiting deportation. No asylum-seeker here in Ireland should be deported back to Germany until the German authorities give a solemn commitment that to fulfil Article 33 of the 1951 Refugee Convention, which forbids states from forcibly expelling asylum-seekers to countries of persecution.
A further cause of concern is the agreement between Germany and Algeria, signed on February 14th, 1997, called the "Identification and Repatriation of Algerian Asylum-seekers without Resident Permits." The identification section involves close security liaison between the German and Algerian authorities in the identification of all Algerians who apply for asylum. Such pooling of personal and family information has obvious dangers for these asylum seekers and their families in Algeria.
The second section of this protocol, regarding the repatriation of Algerian asylum-seekers, allows Algerian security services into Germany to forcibly remove unwanted Algerians in Germany back to a very uncertain future. This section of the Agreement was due to come into force on June 1st last but was suspended due to the death of Amir Ageeb. - Yours, etc.,
Brendan Butler, Pennock Hill, Swords, Co Dublin.