Communicated on 23 January 2017

FIRST SECTION

Application no 55798/16 A.A. and Others against the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and 4 other applications (see list appended)

STATEMENT OF FACTS

The applicants are Afghan, Iraqi and Syrian nationals. The applicants were represented before the Court by Mr C. Gericke , a lawyer practising in Hamburg, Germany. The Vice-President of the Chamber acceded to their request not to have their names disclosed (Rule 47 § 3 of the Rules of Court).

COMPLAINTS

The applicants complain that there was no individual assessment of their case by the national authorities. Their summary deportation by the Macedonian authorities amounted to collective expulsion, in violation of their rights under Article 4 of Protocol No. 4 of the Convention. Furthermore, they complain that they had no access to a procedure before the national authorities that would have allowed them to challenge and postpone their collective deportation to Greece, in violation of Article 13 of the Convention.

QUESTIONS

1. In light of the applicants ’ allegations, did the authorities of the respondent State carry out on 15 March 2016 the deportation of refugees, including the applicants, who had entered their territory from Greece the previous day in what became known as “the March of Hope”? The respondent Government are invited to comment on the applicants ’ allegations and the supporting material supplied by them in this respect.

2. If so, did the applicants ’ deportation to Greece by the authorities of the respondent State amount to expulsion contrary to Article 4 of Protocol No. 4 of the Convention (see Khlaifia and Others v. Italy [GC], no. 16483/12, 15 December 2016) ?

3. Did the applicants have access to an effective remedy before a national authority within the meaning of Article 13 of the Convention, to assert their rights guaranteed under Article 4 of Protocol No. 4?

APPENDIX

List of applications

File no.

Case name

1 .

55798/16

A.A. and Others v. the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

2 .

55808/16

D.R. v. the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

3 .

55817/16

H.O. v. the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

4 .

55820/16

S. H. A. v. the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

5 .

55823/16

I. A. v. the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia