AYS Daily Digest 07/01/2021: Frontex involved in pushbacks from Albania?
Increasing number of reports on illegal activities of EU’s border agency // MVI rebuilds clinic on Lesvos // Aid workers not allowed in container detention in France // Germany does not fulfill its promises for family reunions and relocations
Balkans: Pushbacks from Albania
In a comprehensive report by Deutsche Welle, more and more people on the move are reporting Frontex complicity with pushbacks from Albania to Greece and from North Macedonia to Greece. One man reports that he took a bus to northern Greece and then walked himself, with a few other companions, to the Albanian border in 2020. Once in Albania, they were met by people in uniform wearing the characteristic light blue and starred arm-band of Frontex officials. These individuals apprehended them and then handed them over to officials in Kakavia, which is on the border between Albania and Greece. The man and his companions relayed that they asked Albanian authorities to register requests for asylum, but they were refused “due to the corona situation.” They then were sent back to Greece without Greek authorities being contacted.
Frontex complicity with pushbacks has been an assumption for years now as we know that 1) pushbacks have been happening across the Balkan route and 2) Frontex has been dramatically increasing their deployments across borders. As pushbacks are in direct violation to the law, of course, Frontex largely denies any complicity unless it is completely impossible to deny, in which case the situation is viewed as an “isolated event.”
For more, go here.
Greece: MVI rebuilds clinic
Medical Volunteers International announced to rebuild their clinic at One Happy Family site on Lesvos. With larger consulation rooms and more space for group sessions, this will help to get more people access to the program. The costs are aroudn 3000 Euro.
Researcher Lena K. wrote an update on the situation at Evros region, where the Greek government intends to create a detention center.
Bosnia: CoE representative criticizes situation
Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic criticized the Bosnian government, speaking to N1 about the situation at the Croatian border. “The biggest problem is the lack of coordination, political will and understanding of how serious the situation is. Migrations are nothing new, the people are looking for a better future and who are we, as a state, to prevent them in their quest? Of course, this must be in line with the law,” Mijatovic said. She further said, that the EU’s money was not helping and she is missing solidarity of EU member statees.
A No Name Kitchen volunteer together with an anonymous photographer stuck at Lipa camp created a video showing impressions from the ground.
France: Aid workers not allowed
At the French-Italian border at Menton, associations including legal and medical associations as well as elected officials are not allowed to go into the holding containers at the French police station at the border, francetvinfo reports. This was appealed but the judge upheld the ban — saying that it is not a prison or detention centre, so there is no legal basis to allow associations to enter and it is not necessary for humanitarian work. Local associations and the lawyer who brought the appeal claim that it is necessary for associations, doctors, translators, lawyers and politicians to visit the site due to extremely poor conditions and illegal police behaviour such as violence, confiscation of personal documents and illegally long detention times. They may re-appeal.
According to several media reports, a French baker in Besancon started a hunger strike at midnight on Sunday in solidarity with one of his employees. In September he took an unaccompanied minor from Guinea. Now that the boy turned 18, he is about to be deported. His appeal wil be hear on January 26 at a local court. The mayor of Besancon wrote to the interior ministry asking for clemency.
Germany: Long delays
Once again, InfoMigrants writes about long delays for family reunifications in Germany. In Pakistan, Serbia, Albania, Morocco and Afghans in India it can take more than one year to get an appointment. The German foreign mininstry said, that this was due to the pandemic, connected with sometimes closed offices for longer periods. Representatives of the Left Party criticized this an “unbearibly long” and “unacceptable”.
When it comes to relocation programmes, Germany’s count does not look much better. While the interior ministry promised to take some 1500 people after the fire in Moria, only 291 were relocated by now — the number did not change in the last four weeks, journalist Isabel Schayani reveals. Meanwhile, Luxembourg welcomed four unaccompanied minors.
More efficently the interior ministry and the federal states seem to be when it it about deportations. The next one to Afghanistan is scheduled for January 12th, the Bavarian Refugee Council warns. Hence, they advise all Afghans, who are required to leave, to contact some counceling center or lawyer. Also the federal bureaus should be aware of sicknesses, upcoming educations or other integration efforts. More information can be found here.
Activists today remembered the death of Oury Jalloh, who died in 2005 in a police station in Desslau. The asylum seeker is assumed to have been murdered by police officers in his cell, however noone was convicted until today.
Syria: New regime tactic
The outlet Enabbaladi published an analysis, why the Syrian regime seems to show more interest in refugee related topics recently. Especially on incidents in Lebanon, officials did not remain silent unlike at past events.
Morocco
According to AMDH Nador, there were two tragic deaths (a woman and child) and 21 arrests made in the aftermath of a shipwreck off of Morocco. The woman and child have not yet been identified, and the individuals who have been arrested had not been released as of 18h on January 7th. AMDH Nador is attempting to monitor the situation in hopes that the people will not be pushed back to Algeria and demanding their release.
Libya
Yesterday we reported on the harrowing account of a 15-year-old refugee in Libya. He stated that he is in urgent need of assistance and is rapidly deteriorating in health, this after his friend, who was 19, apparently died of illness and neglect. The minor reported repeated attempts to call UNHCR and other INGOs for assistance in their case, but that they only appeared to collect the body of his friend.
According to UNHCR, in a statement released today, the 15-year-old is now staying with members of the Somali community in Tripoli. They also report that both people had registered with them in 2020 as refugees, and that both had been subjected to horrific treatment, with the 19-year-old having been subjected to forced labour. Although we are glad if it is indeed true that the minor is now being monitored and in a better situation, it is horrific that the response of UNHCR was too late for his friend.
General
Jo Livingstone published a comic called “No Borders” on Awry. You can watch it under this link.
UK
The Scottish Refugee Council has published an interactive map for people, who are new to the country. By entering the postcode, people can find local supports, friends, information and advice.
The Refugee Studies Center at the Oxford University invites to a Zoom webinare about “ Refugee denial: Settler colonialism and the making of the Global North imaginary” on January 20th, 5pm.
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