Slovenia’s new asylum law could jeopardize refugees – UN agency

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) today said new legislation in Slovenia could jeopardize people in need of international protection.

“We are disappointed over the Slovene Parliament’s vote on Monday in favour of amendments to the country’s asylum law,” UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond told reporters in Geneva.

The agency has warned that there was a “real danger” that they could lead to persons in need of international protection being deported to countries where their life or freedom is threatened, which is contrary to international law.

Slovenia is the latest country to downgrade its standards in the asylum law along the lines of the minimum standards in the European Union qualification directive, according to UNHCR.

“When this directive was issued, UNHCR warned about the danger that EU countries would interpret it as setting the maximum standards whereas, in fact, it only sets minimum norms which member states are free to exceed,” Mr. Redmond said, urging all 25 EU countries to instead raise those standards as they adjust national laws to meet regional standards.