Netherlands: Refugee Group Sues Government Over Inhumane Treatment Of Asylum Seekers

A refugee organisation in the Netherlands has filed a lawsuit against the government for the inhumane treatment of asylum seekers in the country.

On Wednesday, the VluchtelingenWerk Nederland filed the lawsuit against the state at a court in The Hague.

The organisation stated; "As a result of austerity measures, thousands of refugees have had to live in tents or sports halls under inhumane circumstances for almost a year.

"In the past few weeks, the situation at the national asylum center at Ter Apel in the northeast on the German border had come to a head", the refugee group added.

The organisation wants to force the government to meet minimum legal requirements including privacy, health care, a bed, decent food, clean showers and toilets as well as protection from the elements.

In the wake of austerity measures and the closure of asylum centers, there are now no places available for refugees and waiting times are increasing, said Frank Candel, chairman of the refugee organization.

The approximately 60,000 refugees from Ukraine are not affected by the crisis.

They have special status and have been housed by Dutch municipalities or in people's homes.