AYS Daily Digest 08/07/21 — Ocean Viking Finally Has a Safe Port!
Returnees to Afghanistan CAnnot Return to Hometown Due to Taliban Invasion//Another Wall in Evros?//ECHR Rules Against Hungarian Pushbacks
FEATURE
Ocean Viking Finds Safe Port in Italy
572 people who were stranded on board the Ocean Viking ship will finally have a place to land! Late Thursday night the Sicilian port of Augusta announced that it would take the people in distress.
However, the fact that it took days to find a port for people in distress showed that Europe once again turned away from its duty to people in distress at sea. At least one man jumped overboard due to emotional distress from the uncertainty of the situation. There were several other people in need of urgent medical assistance, but they had to wait for help. Some people have been on board the ship for as long as eight days.
The Ocean Viking had contacted Maltese, Libyan, and Italian authorities for a port of safety with no response. Even though four of the six rescues took place within the Maltese SAR zone, Maltese authorities neglected their duty twice—once in conducting the rescue, once in helping the people.
The situation was getting urgent as the emotional state of many people on board is deteriorating, the ship is running out of rations, and foul weather is nearing. Even though the people finally got a safe port, it is unconscionable that it took this long.
AFGHANISTAN
What Happens to Returnees and Deportees?
The NGO Afghanistan Migrants Advice & Support Org met with two of the 27 people deported to Afghanistan from Germany earlier this week. At least one of the people cannot even return to their hometown because it is under control of the Taliban. Both have said that life in Afghanistan for them is impossible!
SEA
Updates on Distress Cases and Rescues
49 people were pulled back to Tunisia after they were stranded off the coast of Libya.
The Sea Watch 4 is still trapped in administrative detention in Trapani.
So far this year, 2,100 people have died at sea on the route to Spain alone. Most perished on the Canary Islands route. Increased militarization of the Mediterranean has pushed more people on this route, which has highly dangerous crossing conditions.
Italian prosecutors are looking to open an investigation into an incident last month when the Libyan coast guard fired shots at a boat full of people on the move and tried to ram their ship. However, they still need government permission to begin the investigation, which will also be complicated by the fact that there is no official cooperation between Libyan and Italian courts.
GREECE
New Wall in Evros?
There are rumors of another wall in the Evros region, this one near the Turkish/Bulgarian border near Dilofos, Marasia, and Ormenio. This story comes from local news.
Updates from Samos
People living in Vathy camp report difficult living conditions in pest-infested shelters. The people have to deal with poisonous snakes as well as cockroaches, scorpions, mice and bugs infesting their living spaces.
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
Council of Europe Publishes Report From Fact-Finding Mission
The report from Ambassador Drahoslav Štefanek’s fact-finding mission to Bosnia & Herzegovina is out. Key findings from the report include the fact that conditions in Lipa camp are dire, although the Ambassador claimed that “the basic needs of residents were secured,” which contradicts reports on the ground. The report recommends that the EU does more to support local authorities.
HUNGARY
Hungarian Helsinki Committee Wins Case in ECHR
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee won its case in the European Court of Human Rights against the Hungarian government for its illegal pushback of their client. The court ruled that the government cannot deport people against the proper procedures because even though it is in line with Hungarian domestic law, it violates European laws against collective deportations. While this is a victory in this individual case, unfortunately the Hungarian authorities have been involved in at least 72,000 pushbacks since 2016. The Hungarian government also has a history of ignoring rulings by the European Court of Human Rights, which are difficult to enforce.
GERMANY
Exposing the Racism Against Germany’s First Syrian Candidate for Bundestag
Tareq Alaows had to stop his campaign for parliament after only two months due to a wave of racist harassment. Not only were all his social media platforms and email addresses flooded with racist comments, Alaows was also personally attacked on the U-Bahn and people threatened his family and campaign staff. The sheer vitriol he experienced was overwhelming, even for one accustomed to abuse after years of political organizing in the community of people on the move. It shows that this was not the work of individual racists, but a coordinated attack by the far right. He also sees this as a natural consequence of top-down discrimination thanks to harsh policies by the natural government.
NETHERLANDS
Netherlands Relaxes Rules to Benefit Stateless People
The Dutch junior minister of justice just made it easier for stateless people to apply for Dutch nationality after she initially stopped implementing a motion voted on by the Dutch parliament. This would benefit about 8,000 people.
UK
Why is the British Government Cracking Down on Asylum Seekers?
Even though the number of asylum seekers is at a historic low and most voters don’t see immigration as a political priority, the UK government is continuing to prioritize punishing asylum seekers. The proposals in the UK Nationality and Borders Bill include an idea to house asylum seekers offshore, which violates international law, as well as other violations of human rights. As this thread by Jeff Crisp outlines, it is part of the Tory government’s strategy to divide the opposition and the public using racism. It also reinforces the stereotype of the government as “tough” and copies other governments such as Hungary and Australia.
Despite claims that xenophobic rhetoric is just repeating the will of the majority, there are still countless Britons who prove that they still care about the right to asylum by organizing initiatives such as this one in Portsmouth that provides asylum seekers with free bikes and volunteer opportunities.
EU
Socialists & Democrats Call For Restoration of Schengen
The S&D group in the European Parliament said that the Schengen zone is at risk due to stronger measures at the borders, which have only been exacerbated by the pandemic. The MEPs called for an end to internal border controls as condemning the actions of Frontex and EU forces at the external border.
However, the militarized border is expanding further. Lithuania is contemplating building a wall on its border with Belarus and is sending a delegation to Turkey to discuss migration. The European Commission is also continuing to fund the Libyan Coast Guard by including new patrol boats in its aid package, despite denying publicly that it does so.
The EU Parliament just released its study on the usage of AI and other technology at the border, but contained many gaps in its scope. Petra Molnar broke down the gaps in the study, which failed to condemn border surveillance or even mention the intersections between tech and systemic racism. Molnar also pointed out that the paper used harmful language that equated people on the move with threats.
All of this technology, with no effort by the EU to curb its use, is now in the hands of Frontex which is not only complicit in pushbacks in the Aegean but also in charge of Operation Poseidon, which ostensibly is supposed to investigate human rights violations. Thus, Frontex is charged with investigating perpetrators of pushbacks—including itself.
The EU also released an evaluation study into the situation of Syrian people on the move in Turkey. The study found that “ the Facility for Refugees in Turkey has made a significant contribution to the welfare of Syrians and others fleeing conflict in the region in areas such as health, education, protection and socio-economic support.” However, this contrasts with reports by Syrians and people of other nationalities who say they face economic difficulties and discrimination on the basis of their nationality. Although the report does mention social tensions and says that the EU needs to do more to help vulnerable people on the move, but it downplays this aspect. The report will likely be used to justify further funding to Turkey and it will be tense to see its consequences now that Greece has officially designated Turkey a safe third country.
WORTH READING
Disinformation has been a continent-wide problem for people on the move and solidarity workers. Conspiracy theories about smuggling rings and plotted “invasions” spread rapidly through right-wing media. This journal article tracks the misinformation that impacted the MV Aquarius, a rescue ship accused of working with smugglers.
What happens to people in “foreign national” prison in the UK? This interview with Akin sheds light on the situation.
One of the most common terms that pops up in migration discourse is “illegal immigration.” However, this term is highly problematic and inaccurate. This series from Josoor explains why.
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