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“If we ask something to police officer, he say, no, no, this is not our duty, you go back”
The respondent is a 22-year-old from Pakistan, who came to Trieste, Italy to ask for international protection. To register his asylum request he had to go to the local police station. Here, he is waiting with other approximately 100 people that want to ask for asylum.
Questura di Trieste/ Policestation in Trieste, where asylum seekers have to wait to register their asylum request
The respondent did not receive any (legal) information about the next steps or the general procedure of the asylum process from the authorities. He tells us: “If we ask something to police officer, he say, no, no, this is not our duty, you go back, come tomorrow”. The only information the respondent is receiving regarding his rights is from a non-profit organization. The respondent tells us that this organisation; “they’re explaining one thing, but the police, they’re doing something entirely different, they’re doing it based on their own choice, what they want to do”.
The respondent describes that the police are “picking up people randomly based on their own choice”. While the respondent is waiting “Two hours, every day, four or five days” weekly, to finally get selected by the authorities – “police come outside and they select randomly in five to six minutes and then they tell us, go back, tomorrow you come”.
The respondent explains that the number of people being selected varies every day, they approximately choose 12 people out from 100, often way less than that, – “some day they say system problem (…) they don’t take any person”. The respondent never got a number, appointment or official indication. When the Police is randomly selecting people without transparent criteria, they don’t make a difference between who came on that day for the first time and who is already waiting for months. The respondent describes that “they don’t see anyone, whether someone is sick or not, they just take people by their own will” and criteria nobody understands.
The respondent describes that the police are “picking up people randomly based on their own choice”. While the respondent is waiting “Two hours, every day, four or five days” weekly, to finally get selected by the authorities – “police come outside and they select randomly in five to six minutes and then they tell us, go back, tomorrow you come”.
The respondent explains that the number of people being selected varies every day, they approximately choose 12 people out from 100, often way less than that, – “some day they say system problem (…) they don’t take any person”. The respondent never got a number, appointment or official indication. When the Police is randomly selecting people without transparent criteria, they don’t make a difference between who came on that day for the first time and who is already waiting for months. The respondent describes that “they don’t see anyone, whether someone is sick or not, they just take people by their own will” and criteria nobody understands.
This respondent has already been waiting 2 months to finally register and formalize his request. While waiting he receives no help from official authorities and does not have access to reception facilities. He describes that he is forced to sleep on the floor in an abandoned building without electricity and heating systems. He reports: “it’s dirty there, there’s no light (…) I have a fever daily, and I have a cough as well, there’s a lot of problems (…) in general it’s not a good place”.
When asking the respondent what he wants Italian authorities to know about his experience he says: “my expectation is that the Police is doing their job in a right way correctly. That they are following what their responsibilities are. They’re doing it based on their own choice (but) they should decide based on the law based on the regulations and be fair.”
When asking the respondent what he wants Italian authorities to know about his experience he says: “my expectation is that the Police is doing their job in a right way correctly. That they are following what their responsibilities are. They’re doing it based on their own choice (but) they should decide based on the law based on the regulations and be fair.”
legal analysis
Italian Law states that asylum seekers should be able to register their asylum request immediately - in order to start the official process of their request and get access to a first reception camp. However, the respondent is one of many people facing very long waiting times. This practise constitutes a systematic obstruction of the right to asylum. Refusing to process or receive asylum claims, as well as interference or obstruction in individuals' asylum processes is a violation of the Right to Asylum as established in the 1951 Refugee Convention, the UN Declaration on Human Rights (Article 14), and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (Article 18).
overview
from Pakistan,
aged 22.