In this submission Amnesty International expresses concerns about complaints of police ill-treatment and excessive use of force against members of ethnic minorities and a pattern of impunity for such abuses as well as shortcomings in the penal, preventive and juvenile detention systems. Amnesty International is also concerned that Austria has not taken sufficient pro-active steps to protect individuals against discrimination on the basis of religion and belief, age and sexual orientation. The asylum procedure is long and access to housing, social benefits and health care by asylum-seekers remains inadequate.
