32 FRONTIER EUROPE Human rights abuses on Greece’s border with Turkey http://www.refworld.org/docid/3be01b964.html; the Charter of Fundamental Rights of The European Union (2000/C 364/01), available at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf; Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights; Council Directive 2005/85/EC of 1 December 2005 on minimum standards on procedures in Member States for granting and withdrawing refugee status; and the Directive 2008/115/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on common standards and procedures in Member States for returning illegally staying third-country nationals. UNHCR, Syrians in Greece: Protection Considerations and UNHCR Recommendations, 17 April 2013, available at: http://www.unhcr.gr/fileadmin/Greece/News/2012/Syria/pc/Greece_Syria_Note_for_Pressconfe rence_English.pdf. 19 20 Letter dated 6 June 2013 from the Executive Director of Frontex to Amnesty International European Institutions Office in response to a query dated 13 May 2013. Also see, UN General Assembly, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crépeau: Addendum – Turkey, 17 April 2013, Paragraphs 40 and 41, available at: http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/23/46/Add.2. 21 22 See for example, the Ministry of Interior Circular on Refugees and Asylum Seekers No. B.050.OKM.0000.12/2010/19 of March 19, 2010 (Mülteci ve Sığınmacılar) and Circular on Combating Illegal Migration of March 23, 2010 (Yasadışı Göçle Mücadele ile ilgili Genelge No. 2010/22). 23 The law on foreigners and international protection (Law No.6458) was adopted by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on 4 April 2013. However, most of its provisions will come into force on 11 April 2014, one year after its publication in the Official Gazette and whether it will lead to real improvement in practice remains to be seen. See for example, UN General Assembly, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crépeau: Addendum – Turkey, 17 April 2013, Paragraph 60, available at: http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/23/46/Add.2 and EuroMediterranean Human Rights Network, An EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement – Undermining the rights of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers?, 20 June 2012, page 10, available at: http://www.euromedrights.org/eng/2013/06/20/an-eu-turkey-readmissionagreement-undermining-the-rights-of-migrants-refugees-and-asylum-seekers/. Difficulties accessing international protection while in detention – especially at the Edirne Removal Centre – was also confirmed through interviews with local legal aid organizations, Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly and Multeci-Der. Updates were gathered from these organizations on 30 May 2013 and 18 June 2013 respectively. 24 UN General Assembly, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crépeau: Addendum – Turkey, 17 April 2013, Paragraph 48, available at: http://daccess-dds- http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/23/46/Add.2. 25 26 European Commission, Turkey Progress Report 2012, 10 October 2012, page 75, available at: https://wcd.coe.int/com.instranet.InstraServlet?Index=no&command=com.instranet.CmdBlob Amnesty International July 2013 Index: 25/008/2013