Swiss Review 6/2018

Swiss Review / November 2018 / No.6 15 Society STÉPHANE HERZOG The Eritrean diaspora, the largest refugee group living in Switzerland, is under pressure. About 23,000 have been recognised as refugees; 9,500 are on temporary admis- sion (F permit) and 3,000 are waiting for a decision. While the expulsion of the second group has been deemed im- possible to implement, their files have been the subject of a re-examination since the summer. Holders of the F per- mit received a letter from the State Secretariat for Migra- tion (SEM). “We are considering cancelling your provi- sional admission, which would result in your removal from Switzerland.” Sent initially to about 200 people, themessage plunged the diaspora into turmoil. “People, including those with a stable legal situation, such as a B or C permit, are worried that their situation will deteriorate,” says Tzeggai Tesfal- det, political opponent of the Eritrean regime and co- founder of two refugee associations in Geneva. “Teenag- ers have dropped out of school from fear,” says Aldo Brina, asylumofficer at the Geneva Protestant Social Center (CSP). The loss of the F permit will be brutal The people concerned, if they do not appeal, will move from social assistance to emergency assistance, with an al- lowance of ten francs a day, and will have to leave their homes. “These people will be housed in the most dilapi- dated homes. This is the path to social disintegration,” pre- dicts Aldo Brina. They will no longer have access to the la- bour market. For this specialist on asylum issues, the policy ismainly aimed at diverting incoming Eritreans to other countries. “In Switzerland, people will not leave. Their situation will become precarious or theywill go into hiding,” he predicts. The recipients of the letter – a group that is growing - are invited to contact the SEM. The CSP reports that the Confederation has already gone back on several cases. “The pilot project showed that in 9% of cases the cancellation of these admissions was proved to be proportionate and le- gally defensible,” says Emmanuelle Jaquet von Sury, spokesperson of the SEM. So far there have been about 20cases of temporary admission being cancelled. Several appeal procedures are pending before the Federal Admin- istrative Court (FAC). As for those seeing their F permits cancelled, they will be able to “return voluntarily to their country of originwithout risk to their safety”, says the SEM. National service and risk of rape This change of policy towards the Eritreans has been car- ried out in several legal phases. The most recent was in July when the FAC made a decision relating to national service in Eritrea, made compulsory since the war with Bern puts pressure on refugees from the Eritrean dictatorship Switzerland is currently re-examining the situation of refugees from Eritrea granted temporary admission. Forced returns will not happen, but the diaspora fears being plunged into insecurity. The Minister of Justice Simonetta Sommaru- ga surrounded by asy- lum seekers: Federal Bern is increasing pressure on refugees from Eritrea in par- ticular. Photo: Keystone Ethiopia (1998–2000). Admittedly, the court is “convinced that ill-treatment does take place duringmilitary service… but it is not established that it is so widespread that any- one performing it would be exposed to the serious risk of suffering such attacks”. The risk of rape for women conscripted by force is also not considered a sufficient criterion. “Sources do not al- lowus to conclude that every woman performing national service risks a sufficient probability of suffering such as-