HANA Human Rights Organization Statement on the EU’s New Asylum System and Its Impact on Iranian Asylum Seekers
On 12 June 2026, the European Union began implementing its new Pact on Migration and Asylum across Member States, including Germany. The new framework seeks to accelerate asylum procedures, strengthen migration control mechanisms, expand screening procedures, and facilitate the return of unsuccessful applicants.
HANA Human Rights Organization is deeply concerned that certain elements of the new system may undermine fundamental safeguards guaranteed under international refugee and human rights law. In particular, accelerated asylum procedures, expanded reliance on the concepts of “safe countries of origin” and “safe third countries,” and shortened procedural timelines risk limiting meaningful access to legal assistance, interpretation, evidence gathering, and effective remedies.
The principal legal concern is the protection of the principle of non-refoulement, a cornerstone of international refugee law enshrined in Article 33 of the 1951 Refugee Convention, Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and customary international law. States are prohibited from returning any individual to a country where there are substantial grounds for believing that they would face persecution, torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, or other serious human rights violations. Any asylum procedure that prioritizes speed at the expense of a thorough and individualized assessment increases the risk of wrongful return.
These concerns are particularly significant for Iranian asylum seekers. Iran continues to be the subject of extensive international scrutiny for serious and systematic human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, torture, executions, persecution of political dissidents, repression of civil society, and discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities. Kurdish activists, human rights defenders, journalists, women’s rights advocates, members of religious minorities, and perceived political opponents frequently face heightened risks of persecution.
Many Iranian asylum seekers flee under urgent circumstances and arrive without complete documentation. Their claims often require detailed individual examination, supported by country-of-origin information and careful credibility assessments. Accelerated procedures may reduce the opportunity to present complex protection claims fully and effectively, thereby increasing the risk of erroneous decisions in cases where the consequences of return may be irreversible.
HANA therefore calls upon the European Union, Germany, and all competent asylum authorities to ensure that the implementation of the new asylum framework remains fully consistent with international refugee law, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Migration management and administrative efficiency must not come at the expense of due process, individualized assessment, effective access to protection, and the principle of non-refoulement.
The right to seek asylum is not a matter of administrative discretion. It is a fundamental legal guarantee designed to protect individuals fleeing persecution, violence, and serious human rights violations.