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PARALLEL TEXTS
Secondo l’avvocato generale Sharpston, i richiedenti lo status di rifugiato che sostengono di essere perseguitati a causa del loro orientamento omosessuale possono costituire un «particolare gruppo sociale» ai sensi della normativa UE sui rifugiati
Inglese tratto da:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-13-87_en.htm
Italiano tratto da:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-13-87_it.htm
Data documento: 11-07-2013
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According to Advocate General Sharpston, applicants for refugee status claiming to be persecuted for their homosexual orientation may form a ‘particular social group’ under EU refugee law
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Secondo l’avvocato generale Sharpston, i richiedenti lo status di rifugiato che sostengono di essere perseguitati a causa del loro orientamento omosessuale possono costituire un «particolare gruppo sociale» ai sensi della normativa UE sui rifugiati
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While the criminalisation of homosexual activity in the home country does not per se constitute an act of persecution, the national authorities must, however, examine whether a particular applicant is likely to be subject to acts that qualify as such
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Mentre il fatto di qualificare come reato gli atti omosessuali nel paese d’origine non costituisce di per sé un atto di persecuzione, le autorità nazionali devono tuttavia esaminare se sia probabile che un determinato richiedente sia soggetto ad atti che possono essere qualificati come atti di persecuzione
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X, Y and Z are nationals of respectively Sierra Leone, Uganda and Senegal.
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X, Y e Z sono cittadini, rispettivamente, della Sierra Leone, dell’Uganda e del Senegal.
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All three men are homosexuals and are seeking refugee status in the Netherlands, claiming they have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home countries based on their sexual orientation.
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Tutti e tre sono omosessuali e chiedono lo status di rifugiati nei Paesi Bassi, sostenendo di avere il fondato timore di persecuzione, a causa del loro orientamento sessuale, nei loro paesi d’origine.
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In this regard, homosexual acts are criminal offences in all three countries and can lead to severe punishments, ranging from heavy fines to imprisonment, in some cases up to life.
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A tale riguardo, gli atti omosessuali configurano in tutti e tre i paesi reati passibili di pene severe, che vanno da pesanti sanzioni pecuniarie fino a pene detentive che possono arrivare all’ergastolo.
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Under a European directive, that refers to the provisions in the Geneva Convention, a third country national who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group, is outside the country of nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country can claim refugee status.
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Ai sensi di una direttiva europea , che fa riferimento alle disposizioni della Convenzione di Ginevra , un cittadino di un paese terzo il quale, per il timore fondato di essere perseguitato per motivi di razza, religione, nazionalità, opinione politica o appartenenza ad un determinato gruppo sociale, si trova fuori dal paese di cui ha la cittadinanza e non possa o, a causa di tale timore, non voglia avvalersi della protezione di detto paese, può chiedere lo status di rifugiato.
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In this context, such acts of persecution must be sufficiently serious by their nature or repetition as to constitute a severe violation of basic human rights.
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Eventuali atti di persecuzione devono essere sufficientemente gravi, per loro natura o frequenza, da rappresentare una violazione grave di diritti umani fondamentali.
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The Dutch Raad van State, which is hearing the case at final instance, made three requests for a preliminary ruling to the Court of Justice on the assessment of applications for refugee status under the provisions of the directive.
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Il Raad van State (Consiglio di Stato) dei Paesi Bassi, adito in ultimo grado, ha sollevato dinanzi alla Corte di giustizia tre questioni pregiudiziali vertenti sulla valutazione di domande per ottenere la qualifica di rifugiato ai sensi della direttiva.
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The national court asks the Court whether third country nationals who are homosexual form a particular social group within the meaning of the directive.
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Il giudice nazionale chiede alla Corte se i cittadini di paesi terzi che siano omosessuali costituiscano un particolare gruppo sociale ai sensi della direttiva.
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Furthermore, it asks how national authorities should assess what constitutes an act of persecution concerning homosexual activities within this context, and whether the criminalisation of those activities in the applicant’s country of origin, which can lead to imprisonment, amounts to persecution.
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Chiede inoltre con quali modalità le autorità nazionali debbano valutare che cosa costituisca, in tale contesto, un atto di persecuzione con riferimento ad atti omosessuali e se configuri una persecuzione il fatto di qualificare come reati, passibili di pena detentiva, simili atti nel paese di origine del richiedente.
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In today’s Opinion, Advocate General Eleanor Sharpston proposes that the Court declare, first of all, that applicants for refugee status who have a homosexual orientation may, depending on the circumstances in their country of origin, form a particular social group within the meaning of the directive.
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Nelle sue odierne conclusioni, l’avvocato generale Eleanor Sharpston propone alla Corte di dichiarare anzitutto che i richiedenti lo status di rifugiato che hanno un orientamento omosessuale possono costituire, a seconda delle circostanze nel loro paese d’origine, un particolare gruppo sociale ai sensi della direttiva.
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In her opinion, the wording of the directive shows that the EU legislator has given the clearest possible indication that persons with a shared characteristic of sexual orientation may indeed be members of a particular social group.
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A suo parere, il tenore letterale della direttiva mostra che il legislatore dell’Unione ha indicato il più chiaramente possibile che persone che condividono una caratteristica di orientamento sessuale possono effettivamente essere membri di un particolare gruppo sociale.
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Subsequently, the national court has to assess whether such a group has a ‘distinct identity’, in each applicant’s country of origin, ‘because it is perceived as being different by the surrounding society’.
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Di conseguenza, il giudice nazionale deve valutare se tale gruppo possieda un’«identità distinta» nel paese d’origine di ciascun richiedente, «perché vi è percepito come diverso dalla società circostante».
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According to Ms Sharpston, the criminalisation of homosexual activity does not per se constitute an act of persecution for the purposes of the directive.
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Secondo l’avvocato generale Sharpston, il fatto di qualificare come reato l’attività omosessuale non costituisce di per sé un atto di persecuzione ai sensi della direttiva.
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Rather, it is for the competent national authorities to assess whether a particular applicant is likely to be subject either to acts which are sufficiently serious by their nature or repetition as to constitute a severe violation of human rights, or to an accumulation of various measures, including violations of human rights, which is sufficiently severe similarly to affect the applicant.
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Spetta piuttosto alle autorità nazionali competenti valutare se sia probabile che un determinato richiedente venga assoggettato a misure sufficientemente gravi, per loro natura o frequenza, da rappresentare una violazione grave dei diritti umani, o ad una somma di diverse misure, tra cui violazioni dei diritti umani, il cui impatto sia sufficientemente grave da esercitare sul richiedente un effetto analogo.
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In the light of the circumstances pertaining in the applicant’s country of origin, the national authorities must take into account the risk and frequency of prosecution, the severity of the sanction normally imposed, and any other measures and social practices to which the applicant may reasonably fear to be subjected.
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Alla luce delle circostanze rilevanti nel paese di origine del richiedente, le autorità nazionali devono tener conto del rischio e della frequenza della persecuzione, della severità della sanzione normalmente inflitta e di qualsiasi altra misura e prassi sociale cui il richiedente può ragionevolmente temere di essere sottoposto.
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Finally, in the context of the assessment whether criminalisation of the expression of a sexual orientation is an act of persecution, the Advocate General is of the opinion that the directive does not draw a distinction between such an expression in public or in private.
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Infine, nel valutare se il fatto di qualificare come reato la manifestazione di un orientamento sessuale costituisca un atto di persecuzione, l’avvocato generale ritiene che la direttiva non operi una distinzione a seconda che tale manifestazione avvenga in pubblico o in privato.
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Moreover, an applicant for asylum cannot, according to the Advocate General, be expected to exercise restraint or conceal his sexual orientation in order to avoid persecution in his home country.
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L’avvocato generale non ritiene inoltre che da un richiedente asilo si possa pretendere che reprima o nasconda il proprio orientamento sessuale al fine di evitare la persecuzione nel proprio paese d’origine.
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Furthermore, she states that it would lead to arbitrariness to suggest that a distinction should be made between different types of expression of a person’s sexual orientation or indeed instances of expression that are not sexual acts or acts of affection.
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Aggiunge che condurrebbe a risultati arbitrari suggerire che si debba operare una distinzione tra diversi tipi di manifestazione dell’orientamento sessuale di una persona o tra modi di espressione che non siano atti sessuali o manifestazioni di affetto.
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Finally, in a case where the alleged acts of persecution in the home country apply to both homosexuals and heterosexuals, it is for the national authorities to consider whether the applicant is specifically likely to be targeted by acts of persecution or an accumulation of various measures, that are sufficiently serious by their nature or repetition to constitute a severe violation of basic human rights.
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Infine, nel caso in cui gli asseriti atti di persecuzione nel paese di origine riguardino sia gli omosessuali che gli eterosessuali, spetta alle autorità nazionali esaminare se sia probabile che il richiedente sia specialmente soggetto ad atti di persecuzione o ad una somma di diverse misure sufficientemente gravi, per loro natura o frequenza, da rappresentare una grave violazione dei diritti umani fondamentali.
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NOTE:
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IMPORTANTE:
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The Advocate General’s Opinion is not binding on the Court of Justice.
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Le conclusioni dell'avvocato generale non vincolano la Corte di giustizia.
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It is the role of the Advocates General to propose to the Court, in complete independence, a legal solution to the cases for which they are responsible.
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Il compito dell'avvocato generale consiste nel proporre alla Corte, in piena indipendenza, una soluzione giuridica nella causa per la quale è stato designato.
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The Judges of the Court are now beginning their deliberations in this case.
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I giudici della Corte cominciano adesso a deliberare in questa causa.
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Judgment will be given at a later date.
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La sentenza sarà pronunciata in una data successiva.
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NOTE:
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IMPORTANTE:
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A reference for a preliminary ruling allows the courts and tribunals of the Member States, in disputes which have been brought before them, to refer questions to the Court of Justice about the interpretation of European Union law or the validity of a European Union act.
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Il rinvio pregiudiziale consente ai giudici degli Stati membri, nell'ambito di una controversia della quale sono investiti, di interpellare la Corte in merito all’interpretazione del diritto dell’Unione o alla validità di un atto dell’Unione.
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The Court of Justice does not decide the dispute itself.
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La Corte non risolve la controversia nazionale.
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It is for the national court or tribunal to dispose of the case in accordance with the Court’s decision, which is similarly binding on other national courts or tribunals before which a similar issue is raised.
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Spetta al giudice nazionale risolvere la causa conformemente alla decisione della Corte. Tale decisione vincola egualmente gli altri giudici nazionali ai quali venga sottoposto un problema simile.
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LISTEN WITH READSPEAKER
According to Advocate General Sharpston, applicants for refugee status
claiming to be persecuted for their homosexual orientation may form a
‘particular social group’ under EU refugee law
While the criminalisation of homosexual activity in the home
country does not per se constitute an act of persecution, the national
authorities must, however, examine whether a particular applicant is likely to
be subject to acts that qualify as such
X, Y and Z are nationals of respectively Sierra Leone, Uganda and
Senegal.
All three men are homosexuals and are seeking refugee status in the
Netherlands, claiming they have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home
countries based on their sexual orientation.
In this regard, homosexual acts are criminal offences in all three
countries and can lead to severe punishments, ranging from heavy fines to
imprisonment, in some cases up to life.
Under a European directive, that refers to the provisions in the Geneva
Convention, a third country national who, owing to a well-founded fear of being
persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or
membership of a particular social group, is outside the country of nationality
and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself or herself
of the protection of that country can claim refugee status.
In this context, such acts of persecution must be sufficiently serious
by their nature or repetition as to constitute a severe violation of basic human
rights.
The Dutch Raad van State, which is hearing the case at final instance,
made three requests for a preliminary ruling to the Court of Justice on the
assessment of applications for refugee status under the provisions of the
directive.
The national court asks the Court whether third country nationals who
are homosexual form a particular social group within the meaning of the
directive.
Furthermore, it asks how national authorities should assess what
constitutes an act of persecution concerning homosexual activities within this
context, and whether the criminalisation of those activities in the applicant’s
country of origin, which can lead to imprisonment, amounts to persecution.
In today’s Opinion, Advocate General Eleanor Sharpston proposes that
the Court declare, first of all, that applicants for refugee status who have a
homosexual orientation may, depending on the circumstances in their country of
origin, form a particular social group within the meaning of the directive.
In her opinion, the wording of the directive shows that the EU
legislator has given the clearest possible indication that persons with a shared
characteristic of sexual orientation may indeed be members of a particular
social group.
Subsequently, the national court has to assess whether such a group has
a ‘distinct identity’, in each applicant’s country of origin, ‘because it is
perceived as being different by the surrounding society’.
According to Ms Sharpston, the criminalisation of homosexual activity
does not per se constitute an act of persecution for the purposes of the
directive.
Rather, it is for the competent national authorities to assess whether
a particular applicant is likely to be subject either to acts which are
sufficiently serious by their nature or repetition as to constitute a severe
violation of human rights, or to an accumulation of various measures, including
violations of human rights, which is sufficiently severe similarly to affect the
applicant.
In the light of the circumstances pertaining in the applicant’s country
of origin, the national authorities must take into account the risk and
frequency of prosecution, the severity of the sanction normally imposed, and any
other measures and social practices to which the applicant may reasonably fear
to be subjected.
Finally, in the context of the assessment whether criminalisation of
the expression of a sexual orientation is an act of persecution, the Advocate
General is of the opinion that the directive does not draw a distinction between
such an expression in public or in private.
Moreover, an applicant for asylum cannot, according to the Advocate
General, be expected to exercise restraint or conceal his sexual orientation in
order to avoid persecution in his home country.
Furthermore, she states that it would lead to arbitrariness to suggest
that a distinction should be made between different types of expression of a
person’s sexual orientation or indeed instances of expression that are not
sexual acts or acts of affection.
Finally, in a case where the alleged acts of persecution in the home
country apply to both homosexuals and heterosexuals, it is for the national
authorities to consider whether the applicant is specifically likely to be
targeted by acts of persecution or an accumulation of various measures, that are
sufficiently serious by their nature or repetition to constitute a severe
violation of basic human rights.
NOTE:
The Advocate General’s Opinion is not binding on the Court of Justice.
It is the role of the Advocates General to propose to the Court, in complete
independence, a legal solution to the cases for which they are responsible.
The Judges of the Court are now beginning their deliberations in this case.
Judgment will be given at a later date.
NOTE:
A reference for a preliminary ruling allows the courts and tribunals of
the Member States, in disputes which have been brought before them, to refer
questions to the Court of Justice about the interpretation of European Union law
or the validity of a European Union act.
The Court of Justice does not decide the dispute itself.
It is for the national court or tribunal to dispose of the case in accordance
with the Court’s decision, which is similarly binding on other national courts
or tribunals before which a similar issue is raised.
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