AYS Daily Digest 05/02/2019: Local authorities in Bosnia demand State institutions to lift IOM’s responsibility about migrants
New arrivals in the Mediterranean and in Greece//People disembarked from Sea Watch 3 can finally meet their lawyers//Migrants forced to sleep among garbage as Diavata camp is too full//A family with 4 children is in desperate need of accommodation in Athens//Donations needed in Greece, Bosnia and France//Another migrant dies in Sarajevo//New data from Serbia and Spain//Baobab again under attack//LGBTQI+ asylum seeker beaten in reception centre in the Netherlands..
FEATURE
The local government in Una Sana canton, where Bihac is located in Bosnia, issued an ultimatum demanding that the state institutions take away the responsibility for migrants and refugees from IOM, moving about 500 people, who are currently in this area, somewhere else.
The main reason for this demand is that there are no sufficient accommodation for the asylum seekers.
They threatened that if that does not happen within the next 10 days, the local government will put into practice the intention to close 4 camps in this area. They also demanded that all families with children are moved to a former hotel, Sedra, and to the renovated Borici camp, where living conditions are significantly better than in other two camps opened in old factories, Miral and Bira.
After the EU dedicated donations to Bosnia to assist the increased number of people on the move in 2018, all the money was given to the IOM, UNHCR and Unicef, giving them also responsibility to provide decent accommodation and living conditions. Over 24.000 people entered Bosnia last year. Most of them found their way to the EU, some went back to Serbia or Greece, while over 5.000 are still in Bosnia. Out of the 5.000, about 4.000 are in Una Sana Canton, right at the EU border.
SEA
Central Mediterranean
A legal team from ASGI and Mediterranea was finally able to talk with 32 of the 47 people disembarked by Sea Watch 3 on 31st January and detained in the hotspot in Messina (Sicily), until all the procedures will be ready for them to be moved into other EU countries.
While still on board of the ship, these 32 people had nominated their legal representatives in order to proceed with their appeals in front of the European Court for Human Rights.
For 2 days, any contact with their nominated lawyers were impossible as these people were officially not allowed to leave the structure — being, again, then forcefully detained without their consent.
On the 2nd February, after 48 hours from the entrance in the hotspot, they were finally allowed to talk with their representatives.
During the meeting, lawyers were informed that all the migrants present in the structure expressed their will to lodge an asylum application while undergoing the identification procedures in the hotspot; this information is, though, difficult to double check as none of them possess a copy of the above mentioned procedure.
It is, up to today, unclear what procedure will be followed with these people and how long the detention will last, mainly because the “re-distribution” of migrants cannot be done while people are still on board of vessels and because this practice is not yet legally defined by any internal and regional legally bounding document.
Western Mediterranean
142 people were rescued by the Moroccan authorities, 59 by the Spanish ones, as reported by Caminando Fronteras.
95 people have been rescued this morning, after passing the whole night stranded at sea and have reached Malaga.
Meanwhile, more and more migrants are saved by NGOs patrolling the sea.
LIBYA
Currently extreme weather conditions are reported off the shore of Libya, with waves as high as 2 meters!
Reports on conditions of migrants deported back to Libya.
GREECE
Arrivals
54 people arrived yesterday at Samos around 23.30, while 46 people were rescued off shore of Tsonia, Lesvos, this morning at 7.30.
Lesvos
Mainland
Few dozens of people, according to Keep Talking Greece, have set up an informal camp around the area of the old railway station in Thessaloniki, putting up tents among the garbage and exposed to rain, wind and cold.
The migrants, mainly from Pakistan, said they had to take this measure because the reception centre in Diavata was full. Among them, also children.
Donations needed for Malakasa camp this Thursday, together with a driver and a car. If you can help, please get in touch here.
A family with 4 children is in urgent need for shelter! The mother is also pregnant and has walking difficulties. If you can help by offering shelter or raising money to help them pay the rent, please contact Our House immediately!
Weekly schedule for Victoria Square Project and Zaatar, where they also have new beginner language classes of Greek: Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 11am-1pm and French: Mondays and Wednesdays 11am-1pm.
Great news: No Name Kitchen has extended its activities in Patras!
This city, which overlooks the Gulf of Patras, is also the starting point of yet another “game” that people undergo to reach Europe in their search for safety. This sinister game involves entering unseen one of the trucks which depart on ferry towards Italy and from Patras, it costs between 1,500 and 2,000 euros. We will keep you updated.
So, as of now, No Name Kitchen cooks and distributes in Patras 130 meals in four different points of distribution every day. While the distributions are taking place we learn about the needs of the people here, and we come back in the afternoon to provide clothes, jackets, shoes, hygiene products, razor blades, underwear or whatever need we have identified.
In addition, No Name Kitchen will also accompany people to the doctor, the dentist, the police station, the asylum office or to any other similar errand they need to make. We are also in touch with a Greek organization that has offered us a space for language classes and to deliver clothes. We are collecting clothes too in order to wash them at over 60ºC given that scabies is very common here.
Read the full report of the activities so far here.
BALKAN WEATHER REPORT for Wednesday 06/02
MONTENEGRO
Moderately to entirely cloudy in the north, snow and sleet from time to time and in the lower regions, possibly some rain during the day. Wind moderate to strong, at some places with strong gusts, from the north and northeast. Lowest temperatures from -5 to 11 and highest daily from -3 to 15 degrees.
SERBIA
In the north it will gradually clear up, while in the rest of the country it will be predominantly cloudy. Locally rainfall in the northwest, north and southwest and in the mountains snow. Wind weak to moderate from the north and northwest. In the evening and during the night precipitation will stop in most parts of the country. Lowest temperatures from 1 to 4 and highest daily from 3 to 8 degrees.
BiH
Predominately cloudy in Bosnia, before noon local snow could fall and in the lower regions rain. During the second part of the day, it will clear up locally. In Herzegovina predominately sunny but cloudy in the north. Weak northern and northwestern wind in most of Bosnia and in Herzegovina moderate wind, in the morning with strong gusts, blowing from the north. Lowest temperatures from -1 to 8 and highest daily from 1 to 15 degrees.
CROATIA
Mostly sunny, some fog in the morning locally. In the south, more cloudy with the possibility of some little rain. Wind inland weak to moderate from the south and southeast. Alongside the coast, moderate Bura whit frequent stormy gusts, towards the end of the day it will weaken. Lowest temperatures form -4 to 9 and highest daily from 3 to 16 degrees.
BOSNIA
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency will be deployed in Bosnia and could operate with and within the State in case of “sudden migratory challenges”, has reported the European Commission.
Status agreements like the one initialled with Bosnia and Herzegovina will reinforce the Agency’s ability to act in the EU’s immediate neighbourhood, helping to manage irregular migration better and further enhancing security at the EU’s external borders.
Donations are needed to support the work of Cadus e. V. in Sarajevo in offering medical support to patients who can’t afford expensive, but highly needed, medication or necessary treatments.
Please, contact them here, if you can help.
One person died in an abandoned building in Sarajevo, while the other is heavily injured and is in hospital. The police said both are migrants but did not give more details so far.
This is the second person to die in Bosnia this week. As we reported in our weekend digest, the first one is a 33 years old man, from Algeria, who bleeded to death after a car accident in front of camp Miral, in Kladusa. After the car run him over, the driver did not stop, and nobody else was there to help. Security from the camp, apparently, did not call the ambulance or police, or tried to help.
SERBIA
UNHCR has published data in regards to arrivals to Serbia for the first month of 2019, reporting a total number of arrivals of 629 in one month, 156 unaccompanied minors.
The number of people present in government centres is 4.212, mainly from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.
Out of the 629 arrivals, 389 expressed their will to apply for asylum in the country, including 113 children — see our weekend digest for more information on the first unaccompanied minor who was granted protection in the country.
Pushbacks to Serbia from Hungary (38), Croatia (241), Romania (43) and BiH (16) are also reported in the document published.
ITALY
Ten people were stopped few days ago by the Rail police in Gorizia. The group was trying to reach the city on foot by walking along the rail tracks, risking their lives, as one train had to stop in order to avoid any incident.
The group was composed by people from Algeria, Syria and Iraq and among them were 2 minors. They had been dumped by a truck along the Italian-Slovenian border and forced to walk to reach the closest city.
Baobab was, again, raided this morning and 11 migrants were taken to the immigration office, most probably for identification. Volunteers are trying to collect more information on what will happen to these people, but nothing seems to be clear yet.
The municipality’s cleaning service has, again, destroyed people’s belongings and threw clothes and blankets in the trash bins.
Borderline Sicilia Onlus has denounced ongoing protests at the CPR — Centro Permanente di Rimpatrio (deportation center) of Piana del Lago, Caltanissetta, Sicily, where a young man from Tunisia was severly injured.
On the 9th December 2017 it was closed down after a fire broke out in the structure, due to protests from the 90 residents in the centre, but it was recently re-opened in order to allow authorities to carry on weekly deportations, mainly toward Tunisia.
In December 2018, one person tried to break free from the building, but was captured and impeded to leave. On the 22nd January, new protests arose inside the building and one young man from Tunisia tried to flee, climbing up until the roof of the structure — he was waiting to board the bus which would have taken him to the airport in Palermo, in order to be deported.
When he saw police after him, he decided to jump into the void and reported severe injuries.
It’s not clear yet whether the people detained in the centre have been given the possibility to apply for asylum.
FRANCE
Paris
I found M. in a park close to Red Crowd’s centre for minors in Paris. He was sleeping in the park for few days after he was tossed out of the centre d’hebergement for isolated refugee minors; 90% of the kids who apply there are refused. […]
This kid can’t understand why is he was thrown out, or what is it that he did wrong. He is tortured psychologically, as he is trying find sense and meaning in everything that has happened to him, and the worst part is that he feels guilty for something he has no control over. He is stuck in a loop, reliving recent events and his interview, and he is constantly trying to justify himself, even though he has done nothing wrong.
The damage that has been done to kids like him by this awful process of asylum seeking is beyond repair and beyond belief. He is in safe place for tonight, but we don’t know what will be tomorrow.
Donations are needed in Paris!
What is most needed are:
- Hygiene Products — shampoo, shower gel, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, nail clippers, razors, shaving cream, body cream, Dexeryl, tissues, notebooks and pens.
- Medicines for scabies — Stromectol, Spregal, A-Par, Ascabiol, Ascaflash, Flammazine, Xyzall, Dexeryl, gants d’examen.
- For Children — diapers and milk, clothes for new born babies.
- For Women: hygiene towels, underwear, shoes.
- For Men: shoes 40 to 45, pants (jeans) size 38 to 46, sweatpants, jackets, boxers, belts, hats, gloves, scarves, sweaters with hood, T-shirts and shirts size S only, backpacks, sleeping bags, tents.
For more information on time and place for the collection of goods, please see here.
SPAIN
THE NETHERLANDS
Last night a 25-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker was attacked by an inmate in the reception centre where they were hosted in Hoogeveen. The young man is part of the LGBTQI+ community.
Despite the attack, the State Secretary, Mark Harbers, stated that there is no need for distinction for vulnerable LGBTQI+ asylum seekers in reception facilities.
Original source here.
FINLAND
A deportation from Finland to Kabul is scheduled on Thursday 7th February. Unknown number of people to be deported.
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