A letter from the Council of Europe to Šimonyte: Criticism of the treatment of migrants

 "The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovič addressed the Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida Šimonytė, urging not to forget the international obligations to human rights during the migrant crisis. 

"It is very important that the members of the Council of Europe adhere to the standards set out in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the 1951 Refugee Convention and other key legal instruments when dealing with the challenges posed by migration," the commissioner wrote in a letter to the Lithuanian prime minister. She states that, in the context of these obligations, she is concerned about the amendments to the Aliens Act, which remove "important safeguards in the asylum procedure" in the event of an emergency, concerning the detailed examination of the facts of the asylum application, the provision of legal aid and the possibility of appeal. "This would clearly jeopardize the principle of non-refoulement as well as the right to an effective defense. 

I am also concerned that the new laws will force vulnerable people, such as unaccompanied minors, victims of torture and trafficking, to participate in accelerated procedures, regardless of their specific situation, "Mijatović said in a letter published on the Council's official website. The Commissioner also points out that migrants arriving in Lithuania are accommodated in conditions equivalent to detention. It also warns that automatic reversal of migrants at the border does not make it possible to identify whether they are at risk." 

There will be courts involved, there will be huge sums of compensation that we will have to pay. I offer to deduct that money from the salaries and pensions of Bilotaitė, Šimonytė, Nausėda and Landsbergiai.