AYS Daily Digest 10/6/19: Illegal and violent pushback for a family of 15 people by the Croatian Police

Deprivation of liberty in Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina // New fence at the border of Croatia // Boat of 100 people ignored by Malta // Turkish Coast Guard pick ups // the continuing causalities in the Syrian Civil War // and more…

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Croatia has erected a spiked metal fence on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina near the crossings Gejkovac and Pašin Potok yesteday.

That is surely the effect of the EU’s support to enforcing Croatian “discouragement” tactics that are basically illegal collective expulsions and violence imposed on the people who are found at the border area, but also within the country.

No Name Kitchen reports on a disturbing and ILLEGAL pushback by the Croatian police of a family of 15 people:

“They explained to the volunteers that when the family was caught by the Croatian police in the forest, after around 10 km walked after the border, they were pushed back — we insist that there are no safe routes for people to access Western Europe, leaving them no other choice but to walk through the forests, hidden during 10 or 15 days to get the chance to apply for asylum.

Once they were near the Bosnian border, the men were forced to take off their shoes and hand them to the police officers. One of the women had a black eye. She told the volunteers that she was slapped on the face by a police officer just when they were about to humiliate the men by leaving them barefoot in the forest near the border.”

“After the deportation, one of the men, the father of the girl in the picture, was pushed by a police officer and he stumbled and felt on top of her daughter, who returned to Bosnia with a heavy pain in her elbow. She went to the hospital and, althought she had no x-ray, her parents were worried that she had a fractured bone and she was bandaged.” Photo by No Name Kitchen

In Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as we reported yesterday, the situation has escalated at the cost of the most vulnerable groups of people. The camp is now reportedly closed, without the possibility of freely moving in or out for the people stuck there. Limited movement has also been imposed on the people who are outside the camp and deprived of any humanitarian or legal remedies from the nominally responsible organisation.
These conditions are by no means compliant with any Human Rights obligations, or humanitarian approach of any sort. The country has decided to literally imprison people and the international community obviously benefits from that, considering the vague — if any — reactions and no actions to oppose these decisions.

Funding and money questions should certainly not keep anyone from standing up to injustice and ill-treatment amounting to torture at this point.

In yesterday’s news digest we wrote about the boy who fell from a tall construction site building leaving him with severe consequences. This is the building. If this is seen as a safe heaven, there is no need to say much more. (Photo: Udruženje Solidarnost — Bosnia)

Syria

In some updates from the White Helmets (Syria’s Civil Defense) one can truly see the destruction many Syrians fled from in coming to Europe.
AYS continues to stand in solidarity, and will always do so.

They report that:

→ A woman was killed while her four children were injured in the attack on the town Kafr Battikh in southern Idlib Monday afternoon

→ Three men were killed and three others were injured in the Russian warplane attack near khan Sheikhoun City in southern Idlib Monday morning

→ A pregnant woman was killed and 24 people (including 16 children) were injured in a regime attack on the town of Maar Shoreen in southern Idlib on Monday

Turkey

Aegean Boat Report confirms that a boat with 54 people (27 children, 13 women and 13 men) was picked up by the Turkish Coast Guard on Friday morning.

“The route from Karaburun and Fokaia was frequently used last summer, and has now started up again. The distance is 40 kilometers, and is considered the most dangerous route towards Lesvos. Apart from the distance, there is no cellphone coverage and it’s a heavily trafficked shipping lane. In the past week many boats have been stopped in this area.”

Sea

Sea Watch International reports that at 1pm on Monday, Alarm Phone warned them of a boat with 100 people. The boat was in distress for three days. Yet the Maltese army only intervened two hours after their request was sent.

Alarm Phone adds:

“The people on board report that they have run out of food and water, and that some are panicking. Some are very sick and need immediate medical attention. There are children on board as well as women, some of whom are pregnant.”

Salvamento Marítimo rescued 50 men and two women on Sunday in the Alboran Sea. They were taken to the fishing port of Almería. Learn more here.

Greece

Athens

An open discussion is planned on Tuesday, June 11, at 18h at the Polytechnic faculty, on how to act collectively against current and future evictions. Affected people are extremely welcome to come and share their story, and think of ways of supporting them together.

Against Refugee Evictions Greece

Safe Space International’s community centre for LGBTQ+ persons (mentioned in the article tweeted above) needs your support! Click here to find out more about how you can help the first LGBTQ+ community centre in the capital.

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