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France: new asylum law passed

01 November 1993

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A joint session of the French National Assembly and Senate in Versailles on 19 November adopted a constitutional amendment bill on international agreements concerning asylum rights by 698 to 157 votes (more than the two-thirds majority needed of 513) (see Statewatch vol 3 no 5). The session followed the rejection of key clauses in previous bills by the Constitutional Council on the grounds that they did not conform to the French constitution. The Prime Minister, Mr Balladur, attacked the Court saying that their decisions were "sometimes more philosophical and political than legal".

Balladur said that whereas the preamble to the constitution only recognised the "right" of the "persecuted" individual, from now on "the granting of political asylum will be the sole prerogative of the state not an individual right any more".

The debate on the new law took place as widespread media coverage was given to police round-ups of 101 "suspected" members of the Kurdestan Worker's Party (PKK) - 80 of whom were released the next day - and 88 people "suspected" of working with the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), a banned group in Algeria - 84 of whom were released.

Le Monde, 21 & 22.11.93.

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