Trinidad and Tobago: Deportation of 82 Venezuelans violates human rights obligations
| Publisher | Amnesty International |
| Publication Date | 23 April 2018 |
| Cite as | Amnesty International, Trinidad and Tobago: Deportation of 82 Venezuelans violates human rights obligations, 23 April 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5b323292a.html [accessed 24 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
23 April 2018, 17:08 UTC
Trinidad and Tobago must guarantee and protect the rights of all asylum seekers and refugees, said Amnesty International in an open letter to Prime Minister Keith Rowley today, following the deportation of 82 people from Venezuela on 21 April.
"Millions of Venezuelans are fleeing an unprecedented human rights crisis in their country. They need a life jacket, not to be sent back to a country where they may face torture or other grave human rights violations," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has said that the group included registered asylum-seekers and individuals who had declared an intention to apply for refugee status.
Mass deportations are prohibited under international law, as is the violation of the principles of non-penalization, non-refoulement, and confidentiality, and the rights to due process and judicial protection.
"If indeed those deported were forcibly returned without an individual assessment of their situation or having the opportunity to challenge their deportation orders, without having their legal options explained to them in a language they understand and without access to their lawyers or the UNHCR, the actions of the government of Trinidad and Tobago have undermined due process, the government's own policy on asylum, and the country's international human rights obligations.
"Now more than ever, states like Trinidad and Tobago must guarantee the rights of asylum seekers and refugees, including increasing numbers of people from Venezuela who are in dire need of international protection. To fail to do so is to ignore the country's commitment to protecting human rights."
