EU deputies protest French expulsion of Afghans

(STRASBOURG) - European Union lawmakers protested Tuesday against efforts by Britain and France to jointly expel Afghan migrants who entered Europe illegally, saying the move would put their lives in danger.

"One cannot but notice that France and Great Britain are looking to persist in joint expulsion operations," said a petition by almost 50 members of the European parliament from across the political spectrum.

A French presidential official said Tuesday that France would expel a group of Afghans in the coming days, three months after it shut down a migrant squatter camp near the English Channel.

The refugees' aid group Cimade said in a statement at the weekend that police had told at least 11 migrants in the northern town of Calais they would be flown to Afghanistan by charter on Tuesday.

"Whereas they have fled the war and have sought protection in Europe, the French authorities are about to send those migrants back to Afghanistan, putting them at risk to serious safety and humanitarian dangers," the deputies said.

They called for an end to the expulsions which they said violated the principle of "non-refoulement" (not turning away), calling for a freeze on any more forced returns to insurgency-hit Afghanistan.

The French move will be the latest in a series of expulsions of Afghans since the closure in September of a migrant camp in Calais where many would-be immigrants and refugees assemble hoping to cross the Channel to Britain.

In October, three Afghans from France and 24 from Britain were sent back to their war-torn country, drawing protests from the left-wing opposition and humanitarian groups.