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Armenians Seeking Assylum In France On The Rise, Again

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  • Armenians Seeking Assylum In France On The Rise, Again

    ARMENIANS SEEKING ASSYLUM IN FRANCE ON THE RISE, AGAIN
    Seda Grigoryan

    hetq
    12:37, August 2, 2011

    Aram, a 28 year-old graduate of the Komitas National Conservatory in
    Yerevan, moved to Paris in 2004.

    He says he relocated to continue his musical education. Aram later
    confessed that the education story was just a ruse. He simply wanted
    to get out of Armenia.

    "I had two major reasons. First, there was the work issue. Even a top
    graduate from the Conservatory would find it impossible to get a job
    in any of the orchestras in Armenia. All the spots are taken. The
    second issue was that I was facing military service. Had I stayed,
    I wouldn't have been able to play music for two years. I might have
    gotten frustrated and left music all together."

    In the ensuing years, Aram has received a number of diplomas. But he's
    still considered a student and this allows him to stay in France. He
    has a residency card. To make some extra money, Aram plays in some
    groups and gives private lessons.

    He makes enough to get by and even send some back to his parents
    in Armenia.

    Aram is preparing to apply for French citizenship.

    But unlike Aram, most Armenians arriving here aren't legal residents.

    Many are obliged to return to Armenia.

    It's not uncommon to read about Armenian families forced to live
    "rough" on the streets of Paris.

    Recently the French paper La Depeche wrote about an Armenian family
    with four kids that were found sleeping on the streets.

    Last March, an Armenian named Misha Shaveshyan, launched a hunger
    strike since French authorities were planning to deport him, his wife
    and two children. Their asylum request had been denied.

    In 2009, 3,603 individuals from the RA applied for asylum in France.

    This was the largest number of Armenian asylum seekers ever. Armenia
    came in 3rd place after Kosovo and Sri Lanka.

    In November of 2009, France decided to register Armenia (as well as
    Turkey) in its official list of "safe countries"

    Of course, the French government took this decision not because it
    was convinced that Armenia was on the road of stability and democratic
    reform. There were more practical considerations at play.

    But local civic groups working with migrants pressured the French
    government to review its decision. As a result, Armenia and Turkey
    were removed from the list in July of 2010.

    During those 8 months, the number of asylum seekers sharply dropped
    off - 44% to be exact.

    The number of Armenians seeking asylum in France sharply rose again
    after Armenia was no longer considered a "safe country".

    Many asylum seekers claim they are persecuted in Armenia since they
    belong to the political opposition and took part in the March 1st
    events. A tiny percentage claims they are members of ethnic minorities
    and thus the target for discrimination in Armenia.

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