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Council of Europe commissioner defends migrants' human rights

Xinhua, August 20, 2015 Adjust font size:

Recalling people's right to human dignity without regard to their migration status, the Council of Europe (CoE) Commission for Human Rights Nils Muiznieks called for the respect of human rights for irregular migrants in a statement published Thursday.

"Those who think that irregular migrants have no rights because they have no papers are wrong. Everyone is a holder of human rights regardless of their status," the Commissioner declared.

He called on the 47 member states of the CoE, who have all signed the European Convention of Human Rights and the European Social Charter, to "stand by their obligations to protect the basic social rights of everyone under their jurisdiction."

His plea comes amidst ongoing tension in Europe over the migrant crisis which has divided politicians and public opinion, especially while the continent is still facing the long-term consequences of financial crisis.

The commissioner, however, cited a study published in March of this year by the European Parliament (EP) on the impact of the financial crisis on fundamental rights in Europe, which showed undocumented migrants are among the groups disproportionately affected by the situation.

He called for member states to respect basic social rights for shelter and food, protection from exploitation and human trafficking, as well as the right to education for migrant children.

Meanwhile, recent events have suggested that even among irregular migrants, there are groups being singled out for discrimination.

The Slovak Interior Ministry on Wednesday announced it would not accept Muslims as part of the 200 refugees it has been allocated as part of a European Union (EU) plan to redistribute 40,000 migrants.

In response, the secretary general of the CoE, Thorbjorn Jagland, on Thursday said: "Refusing refugees on the grounds of their religion would be a blatant discrimination."

"Especially during this unprecedented refugee crisis, there must be no place for xenophobia and discrimination. Europe must show solidarity with these vulnerable people," he continued. Endite