Asylum seekers who accompanied Turkish mothers have jail term confirmed

Two asylum seekers who  used forged documents to flee Greece with two Turkish mothers and two toddlers in July have had their prison term confirmed by a court that is calling for a change in the authorities' “rigid” approach to such cases.

Rather than apply one yardstick, investigators and prosecutors should look into each migrant's particular circumstances and single out “genuine cases where political asylum was well and truly deserved", said Madam Justice Edwina Grima when delivering judgment against Yousef Hammat and Mohamed Lassad Briki. 

In this way, investigators would be better able to present evidence that allows courts to mete out adequate punishment.

She added that the current procedure in such open-and-shut cases, where suspects register an admission and are sentenced upon arraignment, did not seem to be having the desired effect of deterring those “desperate” enough to face the risks of fleeing to some foreign land. 

“It’s the state’s duty to ensure that international conventions protecting asylum seekers are respected” while those convicted should be afforded “all necessary help to apply for political asylum” and for their application to be processed “with utmost...