AYS Daily Digest 07/01/20— Council of Europe Says Danish Ellebaek Center “Unsuitable for Humans”
100,000 Syrians Pushed Out of Istanbul///Protests in Samos by Local Authorities///Rights for Unaccompanied Minors Up for a Vote in UK
Feature — Danish Centers for Asylum Seekers Condemned by Council of Europe
The Council of Europe’s Anti-Torture Committee published a report from its April 2019 visit of Danish prisons. Some of its harshest words were for the two detention centers for asylum seekers, Ellebaek and Nykobing Falster. Hans Wolff, the leader of the delegation, did not mince words and threatened Denmark with action in the European Court of Human Rights if they ignore the committee’s recommendations.
The committee visits many countries, and one can imagine in which countries we would normally find critical conditions, but I must say when it comes to migrant detention centers, Denmark is — very surprisingly — one of the worst…Either Denmark must make some very fast and serious changes on all the areas we have mentioned in the report. Or they must close down Ellebaek and move the detainees to a place with better facilities.
Conditions in Ellebaek
The chief complaint of the committee was with the center’s material conditions, which they called “unacceptable.” The facilities are prison-like, even though people there have committed no crimes and are mostly rejected asylum seekers awaiting deportation. They should have living conditions “approaching normality” since they are only in administrative detention.
Many rooms and common areas need renovation desperately and have peeling paint, graffiti, or exposed electrical wiring. Some rooms for men in Ellebaek lacked even basic furniture, while others had furniture that was damaged.
One of the biggest problems for people detained in both centers was lack of freedom. Female residents of Ellebaek only receive 30 minutes of time outdoors per day when more is needed to maintain physical and mental health. The CPT recommends at least two hours of outdoor access per day — four times what they currently receive. People are also denied access to their cell phones, despite the fact that people in similar facilities across Europe have the right to a mobile phone, which is vital to keeping in touch with family and friends. Having a mobile phone is punishable with 15 days in solitary confinement.
One of the most shocking details is that people on suicide watch are forced to remain in observation rooms completely naked because the centers do not have rip-proof clothing.
Many of these problems are caused by lack of staff. Some guards blame lack of outdoor access on lack of staff to provide supervision, especially female staff. People being detained often have to translate for other detainees since professional interpreters are not available, leading to misunderstandings and conflict. Existing staff are not trained to work with people on the move.
The report also asked the Danish government to consider detaining fewer people in response to overcrowding in holding facilities, instead of scrambling to open new centers.
Political Responses
The Socialist People’s Party, the Social Liberals, and the Red-Green Alliance called on the ruling Social Democratic government to improve conditions very quickly, as expressed by spokesperson Soren Sondergaard.
We cannot accept that Denmark violates our international human rights obligations. It is absolutely crucial that something is done so that no such criticism will be raised again.
However, this was not a unanimous sentiment among Danish politicians and people. Some say that the people being detained brought these conditions on themselves by failing the asylum application and not returning to their countries voluntarily. Others doubt the report’s findings. Danish People’s Party’s spokesman Peter Skaarup claims the committee was exaggerating.
However, the report’s findings were confirmed by a former prison officer at Ellebaek. He agreed that the buildings are in much worse shape than other prisons in Denmark and that the center is understaffed, especially in the women’s section.
The extensive, 85-page report and the independent confirmation make the unacceptable conditions very clear. Whether the Danish government will take action is another story, considering the hostile environment towards asylum seekers that the government is intentionally creating.
TURKEY
In 2019, 100,000 Syrians Were Removed From Istanbul
Last year, the Turkish government unveiled a resettlement plan targeting Syrian people living in Turkey. Turkey’s government restricts internal movement for Syrians, who cannot leave the region where they first registered in Turkey. Last year, the government chose to crack down on those who had moved, especially to bigger cities such as Istanbul, and expel them from their homes.
Numbers released by Istanbul officials over the weekend show that almost 100,000 Syrians were forced out of the city alone. The governor’s office claims that the only people targeted were those who were registered outside of Istanbul and that they were sent to refugee camps just outside the city. However, NGOs report that some people were deported back to Syria right in the middle of conflict zones.
GREECE
Protests on Samos Against Slow Transfer of People to the Mainland
The Eastern Samos municipal authority organized a protest Tuesday afternoon calling on the Greek government to speed up transfers from overcrowded camps on the island. On the mainland, people can hopefully live in more humane conditions than on the Samos camps and have their asylum applications processed faster. The government sent two naval ships to take transfers a few days ago, but they are sitting empty in Samos’ harbor, allegedly because bad weather stopped them from sailing.
For more information about conditions in Samos, watch this video about Refugees Foundation’s recent humanitarian mission there.
The same storms that prevented the ships from sailing out of Samos worsened conditions in Moria. People protested this weekend against inadequate housing and lack of access to medicine.
On Moria and in other Greek camps, mothers with children are the most vulnerable and feel the most unsafe. ReliefWeb published a report on parenting while on the move that you can read here.
If you are working for an NGO operating in Greece, please respond to this journalist’s survey about working conditions. The information will be published in Solomon Magazine in Greek, but the survey is in English.
The EU Asylum Support Office will double its staff in Greece next year and add other positions in Italy, Cyprus and Malta.
Aegean Boat Report published its annual report on arrivals to the Aegean Islands in 2019 here.
No Borders Kitchen in Lesbos, which provides warm meals to people on the move, is in desperate need of assistance. Details on how to donate can be found here.
CROATIA
Man Riding on Top of Train Burns to Death in Tovarnik
A worker at the railway station at Tovarnik, on the Serbian-Croatian border, noticed the freight train was on fire and turned off the electricity powering the tracks. By the time he reached the fire and realized there was a person on top of the train, it was too late to save the man’s life. The victim is still unidentified.
Border closings do not mean that there will be fewer border crossings. Closing pathways to safe and legal asylum just means there will be more accidents like this as desperate people turn to dangerous ways to try and get to safety.
MOROCCO
Shipwreck Off the Coast of Morocco, One Person Missing
AlarmPhone received a message at 3h01 Tuesday morning from a boat carrying 12 people near Tanger. During the rescue operation carried out by Moroccan authorities, the boat capsized and all the passengers fell into the water. As of 16.15, one person was still missing.
MALTA
Rescue Ship Captain Wins Appeal
In May, Claus-Peter Reisch was found guilty of entering Maltese waters without a permit when he docked a ship belonging to Mission Lifeline back in 2018 carrying 234 people. A previous court ordered him to pay a 10,000 euro fine and his ship was impounded.
Today, the judgement was overturned, the fine was revoked, and the vessel was returned to Mission Lifeline. However, the organization cannot use the original ship because they cannot find a country to register with and have to wait until a new ship is ready in the spring to continue working.
Still, this is heartening news as more and more rescue ships are turned away from ports and their captains threatened with legal action. Mission Lifeline spokesman Axel Steier says he hopes the verdict reminds people that rescuing others “is not a criminal thing, but a duty.”
NORWAY
Queen Sonja Calls on Norwegians to Reach Out to Immigrants
In a TV interview in honor of New Year’s, the Queen and Crown Prince Haakon asked Norwegians to help those with foreign backgrounds to integrate by reaching out and building bridges across communities.
We must be generous to those who come to Norway and are not familiar with our culture.
The Crown Prince added that Norway’s goal should be to live in a diverse society, not an “absolutely uniform one.” He recently visited the Baerum Mosque, which was the victim of a terrorist attack in 2019, and called it “a respectful meeting from both sides.”
This message is an important one in the midst of growing xenophobia in Norway that came to a peak in last summer’s shooting.
UNITED KINGDOM
Rights for Unaccompanied Minors Up for a Vote in Parliament
Brexit could make life even harder for unaccompanied children hoping to be reunited with family in Britain. In September, news outlets reported that the Home Office would end family reunification for children in the case of a no-deal Brexit. Experts warned that this would endanger children, who would turn to dangerous ways to cross the Channel due to their desperation to see their families.
However, this rule is being put to a vote in parliament this week. The organization Safe Passage is asking British people to contact their MPs and urge them to protect the rights of children. The petition can be found here.
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