Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights

The Court had therefore to examine whether any effective guarantees existed that protected the applicants against arbitrary refoulement by the Bulgarian authorities to China, be it direct or indirect. No destination country had been indicated in the initial decisions for the applicants’ repatriation or in the expulsion decisions. According to the Supreme Administrative Court, the determination of such a country and the assessment of any risk the applicants would face if returned to China fell to be carried out in the process of implementation of the expulsion decisions. However, such an approach offered no guarantees that the Bulgarian authorities would examine with the necessary rigour the question of the risk the applicants would face if returned to the country they had fled. It was unclear by reference to what standards and on the basis of what information the authorities would determine, if at all, the relevant risk. Lastly, there was no indication as to whether, if the authorities chose to send the applicants to a third country, they would properly examine whether they would in turn be sent from there to China without due consideration for the risk of ill‑treatment and even death. In sum, there were no effective guarantees, in the process of implementation of the repatriation or the expulsion decisions against the applicants, that they would not be sent back to China.

20 February 2020 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Legal Instrument: 1950 European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) | Topic(s): Arbitrary arrest and detention - Expulsion - Freedom from torture, inhuman and degrading treatment - Uighur | Countries: Bulgaria - China

The Court held that "- that O.D.’s removal to Syria would amount to a violation of Article 2 (right to life) and Article 3 (prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment) of the European Convention on Human Rights - that there had been a violation of Article 13 (right to an effective remedy), read in conjunction with Articles 2 and 3. The Court found, in particular, that in view of the overall situation in Syria and the individual risk faced by the applicant it could not be established that he could safely return to Syria. The Court also found that the applicant had not had access to an effective remedy, noting that his request for a stay of execution of the expulsion order had been rejected on the grounds that he posed a threat to national security, and that the proceedings relating to the application for refugee status or humanitarian status had not been aimed at reviewing the lawfulness of the expulsion order or its effects in relation to the complaints concerning the right to life and the right not to be subjected to ill-treatment. ..."

10 October 2019 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Legal Instrument: 1950 European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) | Topic(s): Effective remedy - Freedom from torture, inhuman and degrading treatment - Right to life | Countries: Bulgaria - Syrian Arab Republic

7 December 2017 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Legal Instrument: 1950 European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) | Topic(s): Effective remedy - Freedom from torture, inhuman and degrading treatment - Immigration Detention - Police - Prison or detention conditions | Countries: Bulgaria - Iraq - Switzerland

8 June 2017 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Legal Instrument: 1950 European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) | Topic(s): Deportation / Forcible return - Immigration Detention - National security / Public order - Right to liberty and security - Statelessness | Countries: Bulgaria - Palestine, State of

3 June 2014 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Topic(s): Deportation / Forcible return - Extradition - Immigration Detention - Persecution based on political opinion - Persecution of family members - Turkmen | Countries: Bulgaria - Russian Federation - Turkmenistan

31 March 2014 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Topic(s): Chechen - Extradition | Countries: Bulgaria - Russian Federation

12 March 2013 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Topic(s): Deportation / Forcible return - Habeas corpus - Immigration Detention | Countries: Algeria - Bulgaria

12 February 2013 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Topic(s): Arbitrary arrest and detention - Expulsion - Right to family life - Statelessness | Countries: Bulgaria

31 July 2012 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Topic(s): Evidence (including age and language assessments / medico-legal reports) - Freedom from torture, inhuman and degrading treatment - Trafficking in persons | Countries: Bulgaria - Italy

10 May 2012 | Judicial Body: Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights | Topic(s): Deportation / Forcible return - Effective remedy - National security / Public order - Right to family life | Countries: Bulgaria