WILLEMSTAD - Curacao violates the European Convention on Human Rights. The lawyers' organization that works pro bono for Venezuelan refugees goes to the European Court of Human Rights for the second time. These lawyers are going to file a case against the Curacao government.

According to Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, ECHR, collective expulsion of people is not permitted, says lawyer Maya Elzinga-Soumah.

According to the counselor, the personal circumstances of people should be considered in the event of expulsion, and this is not the case with collective eviction. You run the risk of violating the torture prohibition in Article 3 of the ECHR.

The new procedure prescribed by Minister Raymond Knops on how to deal with refugees does not work in practice, says Elzinga-Soumah. Foreigners without residence permits should be interviewed by the authorities in order to subsequently assess whether they might be at risk if they are returned.

That policy is illusionary, according to the lawyer.

Elzinga-Soumah confirms that it is difficult for lawyers to provide legal aid to refugees while they are entitled to it.