AYS News Digest 29/09/22: Belgium forcibly deported a young Iranian woman
Belgium keeps deporting to Iran despite risk of death// Concern over the migration policies of Italy’s new far-right party // March against border and asylum policies comes to Brussels // Deportations to Iran from Germany could happen anytime// And more
FEATURE
Young Iranian woman deported from Belgium despite risk of death and protests in Iran these last few days
She had fled her country to avoid a forced marriage. And her country is Iran: as a result of #IranProtest2022 against the regime’s patriarchal rules, there are already numerous victims. But all this does not seem to be considered enough to stop the Belgian government from deporting Aisha, a 20 year old girl.
On September 23, Aisha was supposed to fly to Iran on a so-called safe flight, but the third deportation attempt was blocked. We wrote about it in our digest . However, on September 26th the deportation was carried out (Read more here). Her lawyer, Monica Bemba, stated:
“She was abused by her paternal uncle. He wanted to force her to marry an old, rich man, which is typical in Iran. She refused because she was in love with a younger man”
Aisha was locked up for months in a closed center near Brussels airport, until her asylum claim was rejected. Her lawyer denounced a lack of transparency by the authorities which wouldn’t have notified her the moment of the expulsion. Her lawyer claimed
“All I asked was that we could go to court together to try to find a solution”
Read more here:
“ I do not want to die, I am just 20 years old”
Aisha said, who was eventually returned, despite the demonstrations against her deportation held over the previous days, which remained unheard. According to the Foreigners Office, Aisha was expelled from Belgium to Iran, transiting through Turkey. The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration has not commented. Getting the voice out and Mur-Mures strongly condemned the event (read more here).
Once again, European asylum policies prove problematic, putting people at risk.
GREECE and UK
Information released to Statewatch in response to its questions about bilateral cooperation Greece-UK against migrant smuggling
“…deepen cooperation on migration; to work together towards building capacity in the region and reducing the flow of migrants whilst ensuring protection and support is made available to the most vulnerable, and the humanitarian situation in the Greek islands is improved”
This statement is from the Joint Action plan on migration signed by Greece and UK last April.
Statewatch asked the Home Office and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for further information on some aspects of the Joint Action Plan.
Read the requests and answers here:
ITALY
A worrying future for human rights in Italy, especially on migration policies
Polls had been predicting this for weeks, but only the September 25 elections confirmed it. Giorgia Meloni’s far-right party, Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy), won. Rigid migration policies, based on a racist and neocolonialist approach to the issue, are expected. We discussed it here:
Indeed, Giorgia Meloni has used anti-migrant rhetoric to bolster her popularity. The party program listed only a few of the securitization measures promoted by Meloni. These include the much-proclaimed “naval blockade,” a series of actions aimed at further strengthening cooperative (and accountable) relations with North African authorities in an effort to prevent any departures to Italy. This would formalize the complicity of Italian authorities with respect to the Libyan authorities’ actions to stop those who leave, despite repeated demonstrations against arbitrary detention and torture of returnees in Libya.
Human Rights Watch has written about this troubling scenario in Italy here:
It is also worth reading The New Humanitarian’s in-depth article on the possible consequences for refugees, asylum seekers and people on the move after the victory of Giorgia Meloni’s party:
FRANCE
Tiktok: one of the most widely used channels of communication to cross the Channel
Tiktok proves to be a widely used platform offered by smugglers to people searching ways to cross the channel from the Calais area. In particular, the use of Tiktok is widespread among the Albanian diaspora. In recent months there have been many Albanian people risking their lives crossing the English Channel, many of whom had been refused asylum in France.
After a shipwreck on November 22nd in 2021 more than 11 million euros was invested into the acquisition of surveillance equipment and the Ministry of the Interior announced.
“to engage additional means to fight effectively against illegal immigration along the coasts of the sleeve”
Read here more:
GERMANY
To date, Germany has not stopped deportations of Iranian asylum seekers
So far, deportations of Iranian asylum seekers have not been halted. Indeed in 2017, a court ruled that taking off the headscarf was not relevant to asylum — you can read more here. The Left Party expressed their views on the matter:
“People who are threatened with abuse or death in Iran need protection and asylum. The federal government must stop deportations to Iran”
Said Janine Wissler, the co-leader of Germany’s Left Party, in a tweet . Read more here.
According to data from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, about 3,500 Iranians applied for asylum in Germany so far this year and only less than a third were accepted.
GENERAL
Rights. No to the death! : with this slogan the march against European murderous borders arrives in Brussels
The march that started in Bilbao passed through France and is arriving today in Brussels . The slogan of the march is “Rights. No to the deaths!” because “in addition to the deaths, we denounce the suffering of people without papers”. They also ask that the European Union responds to and upholds its responsibilities on deaths at the borders.
WORTH READING:
- This week Mixed-Migration Hebdo focuses on the effects of flooding in Pakistan, taking the opportunity to reflect on the urgency of the climate change debate. And more. Read here:
- The article is an in-depth research on the effects of disinformation that follows the constant new developments in global migration flows. The consequences are often significant for policy making, public discourse, and social relations
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