14 July-3 August 2020

Including:

  • Court judgment confirms that Slovenia and Croatia committed "chain pushbacks"
  • Pull-backs by the Libyan Coast Guard: complaint filed with UN Human Rights Committee
  • Borders, budgets and beyond: LIBE report sheds light on Frontex’s priorities for implementing its new mandate
  • EU support for "migration management" in the Western Balkans squarely focused on control measures
  • Greece: New Legal Centre Lesvos report details collective expulsions in the Aegean Sea

03 August 2020

Libya: “They were shot and killed as they fled arbitrary detention”

Three people who were pulled back to Libya after trying to flee the country have been shot and killed and two others have been injured. According to MSF, they were part of a group of 73 people whose attempt at escaping Libya by sea was thwarted by the Libyan Coast Guard. All those killed or injured are between the ages of 15 and 18.


03 August 2020

Greece: EU to provide €130 million for detention centres on Aegean islands

Three new detention centres will be constructed with EU funds on the Aegean islands of Samos, Leros and Kos.


03 August 2020

Court judgment confirms that Slovenia and Croatia committed "chain pushbacks"

The latest newsletter from Inicijativa Dobrodošli!/Welcome! Initiative reports on a Slovenian court judgment confirming that both Slovenia and Croatia participated in the "chain pushback" of a man identified as J.D., who was illegally expelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina.


30 July 2020

Nigerians returned from Europe face stigma and growing hardship

The EU is aiming to prevent Nigerians from arriving in EU, and to deport many of those who have been living there irregularly. On their arrival back in Nigeria, those who are removed - whether by forced expulsion or through 'voluntary return' programmes - receive differing levels of support, but both face challenges that may lead them to re-emigrate.


30 July 2020

Spain: Huge funding increase for migration control in Africa challenged in court

Spain's government has massively stepped up funding for African states for migration control purposes in recent years. €30 million provided to Morocco is being challenged in court.


29 July 2020

Ireland: 'Reunited refugees at risk of being homeless'

A new report by Nasc, a migrant and refugee rights organisation, explains "the many challenges faced by reunified [refugee] families, including significant barriers to accessing housing and a high risk of homelessness, as well as difficulties accessing other essential services. It highlights significant unmet support needs which are likely to hinder integration into Irish society."


28 July 2020

Mediterranean: Almost 100 people left adrift for 33 hours: non-assistance policies continue to put lives at risk

The New York Times reports on the latest case of non-assistance to people in distress in the Mediterranean, this time involving almost 100 people in a rubber dinghy who were only rescued by the Armed Forces of Malta following intense pressure from activists and civil society groups.


27 July 2020

UK: Hear Us: the experiences of refugee and asylum-seeking women during the pandemic

A new report by the Sisters Not Strangers coalition examines the experiences of refugee and asylum-seeking women in the UK during the COVID-19 lockdown. The authors argue that their findings confirm what they already knew - that refugee and asylum-seeking women have been some of those hardest hit by the pandemic and the measures introduced to contain it. Existing inequalities and disadvantages have been exacerbated, and those interviewed for the report "have experienced hunger, homelessness, mental health has deteriorated and women with pre-existing health conditions have struggled to access healthcare."


27 July 2020

Pull-backs by the Libyan Coast Guard: complaint filed with UN Human Rights Committee

A press release from the Association for Juridical Studies on Migration (ASGI, Italy) and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights, published on 24 July in advance of a press conference on 28 July.


23 July 2020

Montenegro: Frontex launches second operation on non-EU territory

Frontex has launched its second executive operation in a state outside the EU, deploying officers in Montenegro on 15 July.


21 July 2020

Surveillance and data-driven discrimination: 10 threats to migrants and refugees

Privacy International set out ten threats to the rights of migrants and refugees stemming from "surveillance practices and data-driven immigration policies".


20 July 2020

Borders, budgets and beyond: LIBE report sheds light on Frontex’s priorities for implementing its new mandate

In February, three MEPs visited the Warsaw headquarters of Frontex, the EU’s border agency, to assess implementation of its new mandate, which entered into force in December last year. A report on their mission presents a snapshot of Frontex’s current operations, work on deportations and relations with non-EU states, research activities and fundamental rights issues.


20 July 2020

EU support for "migration management" in the Western Balkans squarely focused on control measures

An internal Council survey of EU member states' assistance for Western Balkans countries shows that the emphasis is very clearly on migration control measures, with "the majority of bilateral support... provided in two areas, namely border management and combating the smuggling of migrants (over 50% of all MS activities)".


17 July 2020

Netherlands: Police and refugee agency accused of breaching asylum seekers’ privacy

Dutch authorities have been accused of breaking the law by sharing refugees' personal data without their consent in the name of detecting "offences such as visa fraud, human trafficking and terrorism."


16 July 2020

Border surveillance and deaths at sea: Frontex’s invisible flights come under scrutiny

Interest in Frontex’s “Multipurpose Aerial Surveillance” activities picked up in April this year, when journalist Sergio Scandura documented the presence of Frontex-operated aircraft above the Mediterranean over the Easter weekend. Four migrant boats with approximately 280 people on board were left in distress situations for days, despite repeated calls for intervention, leading directly to “pull-backs” to Libya and deaths at sea.


16 July 2020

Council of the EU: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the EU’s migration partnership with African countries

On 2 June, the Croatian Presidency circulated to member state delegations a document intended for discussion at an "informal videoconference" of the secretive High-Level Working Group on Asylum and Migration on 12 June.


14 July 2020

Greece: New Legal Centre Lesvos report details collective expulsions in the Aegean Sea

Press release from Legal Centre Lesvos on their new report documenting a series of collective expulsions in the Aegean.

 

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