Syrian migrants sentenced
July 11, 2014
A Syrian migrant couple were handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for one year, after leaving Malta illegally to seek asylum elsewhere.
Thirty-six-year-old Younes Eyad Ali and Krayem Dania Ali, who is 34, were sentenced on Friday after pleading guilty at an earlier court hearing.
The two were prosecuted under Europe's Dublin regulation, which bans refugees from applying for asylum in an EU state different to the one they first arrived in.
They were deported back to Malta in July after being expelled from Norway.
The Syrian couple lost their three children when their boat sank in Maltese waters last October. Around 30 others also died whilst trying to make the crossing to the Mediterranean island.
It's reported the woman told Maltese police that she and her husband left the country because it "reminded them of their loss."
More EU help for Syrian refugees
The sentence came as the UN’s refugee agency called on Europe to do more to help Syrian migrants.
In a new UNHCR report, "Syrian Refugees in Europe: What Europe can do to Ensure Protection and Solidarity", the agency found that the EU is a minor actor in the crisis.
Since the conflict began in March 2011, some 123,600 Syrians applied for asylum in Europe, however, there were more than 2.9 million refugees in countries immediately neighboring Syria.
The UN’s refugee agency on Friday urged Europe to ensure access to its territory, including fair and efficient asylum procedures, adequate reception conditions and to take other measures to provide protection and safety for Syrian refugees.
"An increasing number of Syrians are now seeking safety in countries beyond the immediate region," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a press call in Geneva. "Many are embarking on long and dangerous journeys to reach safety… and in some cases to reunite with family members already in Europe."
Syrian asylum seekers are mostly concentrated in a few EU states with Sweden and Germany receiving 56 percent of all new asylum applications.
lw/msh (Reuters, AFP)