The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) condemned France on Thursday for the "inhuman and degrading living conditions" of three asylum seekers, forced to live "on the street" and "deprived of means of subsistence ". "The French authorities have failed (...) in their obligations" against the three isolated adults, Afghan, Russian and Iranian, aged 27, 33 and 46 and "victims of degrading treatment testifying to a lack of respect for their dignity ", estimated in a statement the court based in Strasbourg.
"They must be held responsible for the conditions in which the applicants found themselves for months, living on the street, without resources, without access to sanitation, having no means of meeting their basic needs and in the permanent anxiety of being attacked and robbed ", pointed out the Court. "The applicants have been the victims of degrading treatment showing a lack of respect for their dignity", adds the court responsible for ensuring respect for human rights in the 47 countries of the Council of Europe.
Too long waiting times ...
The ECHR also observes that the three men "lived on the street without financial resources", only receiving the temporary waiting allowance (ATA) after very long delays. In addition, "before being able to register their asylum request, they were subjected" to deadlines during which they were unable to prove their status as asylum seekers ". For Strasbourg judges," this situation aroused in them feelings of fear, anguish or inferiority, which could lead to despair. "
... Despite "the efforts made by the French authorities"
However, the Court is careful to "emphasize that it is aware of the continuous increase in the number of asylum seekers since 2007 and the saturation" of reception structures. It also recognizes "the efforts made by the French authorities to create additional accommodation places and to shorten the time taken to examine asylum requests". However, it considers that "these circumstances do not exclude that the situation of asylum seekers may have been such that it is likely to pose a problem" as regards France's compliance with Article 3 of the "European" Convention human rights (prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment).
The Court therefore concluded "unanimously" that there had been a violation of this article and, in particular, awarded 10,000 euros to two of the applicants and 12,000 euros to the third in respect of non-pecuniary damage. It is the fourth time that France has been condemned by the ECHR in less than a month.