Parliamentary question to the Commission: Phallometric testing for gay asylum seekers
In a report published recently, the Fundamental Rights Agency points to the use by Czech immigration authorities of phallometric testing. The report Homophobia, transphobia and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity highlights that gay men seeking asylum in the Czech Republic are encouraged to take a test measuring their sexual arousal while watching pornographic material (see pp 58-60 in the report).
Raül Romeva i Rueda MEP, Vice-President of the LGBT Intergroup, immediately asked the following written question to the European Commission:
In its recent report on homophobia, transphobia and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, the Fundamental Rights Agency reports that ‘phallometric testing may be proposed for an individual seeking international protection in order to assess the credibility of his claim to be homosexual, where inconsistencies appear in his interview’. The Agency stresses that the practice is cause for concern because the ‘informed consent’ procedure may not be offered in full to asylum claimants.
Does the Commission consider that phallometric testing in the context of asylum claims is compatible with the right to human dignity, the right to the integrity of the person, and the right to privacy protected by both the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights?
If not, what actions have been, or will be, undertaken by the Commission?
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