27 passengers on France-grounded plane seek asylum: What it means
What's the story
A Romanian charter plane heading for Nicaragua with 303 passengers—mostly Indians—remained grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking.
It was later allowed to leave Chalons-Vatry airport, and the flight landed in Mumbai with only 276 passengers on Tuesday.
The remaining 27 passengers, including five minors, stayed in France; while 25 sought asylum, two previously detained passengers were granted aided witness status.
Here is what we know about asylum seekers and the procedure.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The Airbus A340 took off from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), for Nicaragua but was grounded by French authorities over "human trafficking" suspicions on Thursday (local time).
The action was reportedly taken in response to an anonymous tipoff received by concerned authorities that some of the passengers on board were "victims of human trafficking."
However, after questioning passengers, the French authorities later shifted the probe to immigration law violations and allowed the plane's departure on Sunday (local time).
Details
Understanding asylum seekers, their rights
Asylum seekers are people who flee their home country and seek protection in another nation because of persecution and human rights abuses, as defined by Amnesty International.
A basic right and an obligation for countries, it was recognized in the 1951 Geneva Convention on the protection of refugees, among other conventions.
Moreover, Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights mentions asylum, stating every person has the right to obtain asylum in other countries to escape persecution at home.
What Next?
Difference between asylum seekers, migrants, refugees
Individuals seeking asylum seek to shift from one country to another due to fear of persecution or wrongful detention, while refugees are compelled to leave their country because of persecution and extreme human rights violations.
Refugees have a right to international protection since their home government cannot or will not protect them.
Meanwhile, migrants are people living outside their country of origin who are not asylum seekers or refugees. However, there is no internationally accepted legal definition of a migrant.
Insights
Origin, destination of asylum seekers
First-time asylum seekers are mostly found in certain European countries like Germany, the United Kingdom (UK), Sweden, Italy, and France.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Europe, including Turkey, had over one-third (36%) of all refugees worldwide by the end of 2022, reported News18.
Moreover, asylum seekers mostly come from countries plagued by war and civil conflict, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
Facts
Process of seeking asylum in Europe
The European Union, of which France is a member, has implemented various rules to manage legal migration, process asylum applications, and deal with illegal migrants.
To apply, one must visit the concerned prefecture and apply for an asylum seeker's residence permit. The filled form must be submitted with the required documents.
A standard asylum procedure has four possible outcomes—granting refugee status, granting subsidiary protection, rejecting the application, or discontinuing proceedings.
The asylum application process efficiency/duration varies significantly among EU countries.