The Supreme Administrative Court has sided with the long-standing opinion of the OPU (Organization for Aid to Refugees), stating that the Ministry of the Interior cannot refuse to accept applications for temporary protection from Ukrainian citizens solely on the grounds that they have already been granted such protection in another member state.
Across Europe, some 4.3 million refugees could soon have the option of returning to a peaceful Ukraine, but many no longer want to. In the Czech Republic, Ukrainian refugees now make up some 3.6 percent of the population — the highest ratio in Europe. A recent survey indicated less than a quarter plan to return to Ukraine once their refugee visas expire.
On Monday 27 January, we received a letter from two important and respected donors, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the European Network on Statelessness (ENS), telling us to immediately stop all project activities due to US President Donald Trump’s Stop-Work-Order, which immediately halted all US foreign aid.
OPU Director Martin Rozumek spoke twice on Czech Radio a few days ago on the topic of migrant returns in the context of Donald Trump’s and the European Union’s plans for massive deportations of immigrants and rejected asylum seekers.
The European Court of Human Rights is asking the Czech Republic to explain the situation of two families with children detained in the Bělá-Jezová Detention Centre for Foreigners.
