By the end of January 2009, several member organisations, including the FTCR, drew the attention of the EMHRN on the situation of Tunisian nationals who are detained in high numbers and in poor conditions in the detention centre of Lampedusa, once their boat docks on the island. A representative of the FTCR, on an on-site mission, also observed the presence of dozens of persons who, although they fulfilled the criteria posed by the definition of a “refugee”, in accordance wuth the Geneva Refugee Convention , were nevertheless denied access to the asylum procedure or could very hardly access it.
