in 2017 when police stopped them to check responsibility for protecting Afghan nationals their identities as they returned from a school fleeing to Europe and the suspension of trip. In July, a coalition of organizations filed a forcible returns to Afghanistan. Following the class action lawsuit to the Council of State fall of Kabul on 15 August, France continued arguing that the government had failed to to issue deportation orders to Afghan take measures to prevent racial profiling and nationals. In September, the Ministry of systemic racial discrimination by police. Interior confirmed that at least 20 Afghans Public officials expressed stereotypical had been sent to other EU countries under views and prejudices against Muslims during the Dublin regulation since the Taliban took public debates on the “republican principles” power in Afghanistan. On 29 September, four legislation. Aiming to protect neutrality and Afghan men were deported to Bulgaria. The “secularism”, the law strengthened the ban Bulgarian government continued to treat on manifesting religion or belief in the public applications of Afghan asylum seekers as sector, including by non-employee unfounded, refusing to consider them. contributers to a public service. Under Migrants and asylum seekers continued to international human rights law, these were experience degrading treatment, particularly not legitimate aims justifying restrictions to in Calais where police and local authorities the right to freedom of religion or belief. restricted their access to humanitarian LGBTI PEOPLE’S RIGHTS assistance and subjected them to In June, parliament passed a law on harassment, but also in Menton and bioethics allowing access to in-vitro Briançon where migrants were denied the fertilization (IVF) irrespective of a person’s right to apply for asylum. On 24 November, at sexual orientation or marital status. However, least 27 people drowned attempting to reach IVF continued to be unavailable to the UK by boat from Calais. Attempted transgender people. crossings continued to increase in the absence of effective access to asylum REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS procedures in France as well as in the The authorities continued to forcibly return context of barriers to family reunification and ethnic Chechens to Russia despite high risks no other safe and legal routes to claim of their suffering serious human rights asylum in the UK. violations there. In April, Chechen police HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS abducted Magomed Gadaev – a refugee and key witness in a high-profile torture In September, a court convicted a police investigation against Chechen authorities – officer who had physically assaulted Tom two days after his deportation from France to Ciotkowsky, a human rights defender, in Russia. Magomed Gadaev’s forced return Calais in 2018. In the same month, an took place despite a ruling by the national appeal court acquitted seven human rights asylum court in March against this course of defenders who had been convicted for action. facilitating entry and circulation of irregular In September, the National Consultative migrants in Briançon in 2018. Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH) MASS SURVEILLANCE raised concerns regarding a speech that President Emmanuel Macron had made In April, the law on “global security” during the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. extended the use of CCTV and included a President Macron emphasized the need to provision allowing authorities to make use of ensure protection of asylum seekers while drones to video-record people in a wide countering “irregular migration” from range of circumstances, with few exceptions Afghanistan. The CNCDH called on the and without any independent oversight. In government to facilitate the establishment of May, the Constitutional Court ruled that the a European mechanism to ensure shared latter provision was unconstitutional. Amnesty International Report 2021/22 169