Germany may soon pass a law that would consider three North African countries, known for their anti-LGBTI laws, as safe, meaning asylum seekers will have applications rejected unless they are able to produce evidence proving their persecution. Chancellor Angela Merkel Germany’s lower house of parliament has approved the draft law stating that the North African countries, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco are considered to be safe, a concept defined by a Federal Constitutional Court ruling that reads, “For a state to be declared a safe country of origin, there has to be nationwide safety from political persecution for all citizens and demographic groups”, reports to Gay Star News. Homosexuality is illegal in all three countries and the bill has been criticised by human rights groups, the opposition party the Greens and hard-left party Die Linke. Baerbel Kofler, the government commissioner for human rights, voted against the bill and told Reuters that there were “proven and documented human rights violations” in all three of the countries. Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière defended the bill saying that “being able to say ‘no’ is also a part of helping” and that migrants from these countries were coming not because they faced persecution but “because benefits are better [in Germany] than they might be in their home country.” The bill still needs to pass in the parliament’s upper house.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Saturday, 14th May 2016 - 1:43pm