AYS News Digest 12–14/02/22: Demonstration in Poland outside POM detention facility sees arrests, police violence
Protest outside UNHCR in Tunisia // ‘Boat driving’ trial begins on Samos // Protests on Chios, Samos, Lesvos against closed structures // Amnesty calls for MOU with Libya to be cancelled
FEATURE — Demonstration in solidarity with people on the move in Poland met with police violence, arrests
A demonstration held on Saturday outside a detention centre in the city of Krosno Odrzańskie in western Poland was met with a swift response from police, who reportedly used tear gas and batons on the protestors, arresting and detaining 11 people.
“We express categorical opposition to suspicions directed towards detained activists,” the No Borders Team said in a Facebook post. “In our assessment, the reaction and brutality of the police was disproportionate, and the police gas, sticks and discs were used without any messages and without prior warning.”
Activists had gathered outside a detention centre where people on the move were being held in the city. Earlier this month the Polish deputy commissioner for human rights (ombudsman) Hanna Machinska said that the conditions for people held in detention centres are worse than the conditions in prisons.
“Persons deprived of their liberty, for the sake of their passport, have basically no rights. They don’t know how long they will be closed, they are deprived of contact with family and loved ones, they are denied proper medical and psychological care,” No Borders wrote. “Treating people like this is torture. There will never be our consent for this!”
No Borders reported that one protestor was taken to the hospital, and that “many others were gassed and beaten.” Later that evening, a solidarity rally was held for the 11 detained persons outside the district police command station in the city.
Videos posted on Twitter show large numbers of police in riot gear surrounding the protestors. One injured protestor lies on the ground, while another is dragged away by authorities.
A detailed account of the protest can be read in translation here.
No Borders wrote on Facebook that one of those detained has been officially charged with “active assault on an officer,” a crime which can carry a sentence of one to ten years. The detained are in custody in the cities of Zielona Góra and Krośno Odrzański.
The collective “SZPIL(A)” is searching for photos and videos of the protest, which can be sent to Szpila@szpila.info.
TUNISIA
People on the move hold protest in Tunisia demanding evacuation
Dozens of people on the move from sub-Saharan Africa staged a protest in the southern Tunisian port town of Zarzis on Monday to demand their evacuation from the country, media reported.
Many of the people had already tried the deadly Mediterranean crossing, and said they were “marginalised” in Tunisia. The sit-in was held outside the headquarters of the UNHCR in Zarzis.
“We have refugee status but this organisation (UNHCR) does not care about us,” one Sudanese protester told media.
“We are marginalised. Our conditions are inhumane,” he added.
Some of the people held signs that read “We are in danger” and “Stop the violence against us.”
SEA / SAR
Rescues in the Med
Civil search and rescuers saved 247 lives in less than 48 hours in the Mediterranean. For a roundup of this week’s busy rescues, head to Civil Fleet.
Boats in distress
GREECE
‘Boat driving’ trial of 11 people begins on Samos
A trial involving 11 people accused of steering their boat from Turkey to Greece began on Samos yesterday, Borderline Europe wrote on Twitter. Among the accused is a 23-year-old Syrian who faces 10 years in prison after he turned on his phone’s GPS when the boat was lost at sea, guiding himself and his fellow passengers to safety in Greece.
On the first day of the trial of the Syrian, known as G.N., the prosecutor demanded that the accused be acquitted, the first such move in a boat driving case, Borderline reported.
“It was the first time the procedure was perfect and just. We are happy to announce there is hope,” said Dimitris Choulis, G.N.’s lawyer.
Simultaneous protests to be held against closed structures on Chios, Lesvos and Samos
Simultaneous protests are being organized on Chios, Lesvos and Samos against the creation of closed structures on the islands, Greek media reported. The protests began yesterday, February 14.
POM speak out against Ioannina camp turning into closed structure
People on the move are speaking out against the Greek government’s plans to turn the camp in Ioannina into a closed facility, Greek media reported. In a closed structure, entry and exit from the camp at night is prohibited, and other movement restrictions exist as well.
“We are not criminals and we should not be in prison. Why are they locking us inside walls?” one person said.
ITALY
Two Nigerians bring case to a UN committee against Italy and Libya
Two Nigerian women are bringing a case to a UN committee against Italy and Libya, claiming that both the countries failed to protect their human rights as women and left them at risk of trafficking, exploitation and abuse, media reported.
The women, Princess and Doris (not their real names) arrived in Libya from Nigeria in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and claim they were trafficked to Libya by criminal networks looking to sell them for prostitution.
The case was brought to the UN CEDAW committee (Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women). More can be read about Princess and Doris at the link above.
Amnesty International Italy calls for cancellation of MOU with Libya
Amnesty International Italy is calling for the country’s MOU with Libya to be dissolved amid strong evidence of widespread human rights abuses.
The letter, addressed to the Italian prime minister, interior minister, minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, and the defense minister, read as follows:
It has been 5 years since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Italy and Libya on February 2, 2017. Throughout this time we have continued to document human rights violations and abuses of migrants and refugees, including unlawful killings, torture and other ill-treatment, rape and other sexual violence, arbitrary indefinite detention in cruel and inhuman conditions and forced labor.
Despite this, Italy continues to provide material support and pursue migration policies that allow Libyan coastguards to intercept men, women and children who try to escape in search of safety by crossing the Mediterranean Sea and allow their forced return to Libya, where they come. subjected to unlawful detention and abuse of all kinds.
I ask the Italian government not to continue to be complicit in these abuses, and to act urgently so that:
- the memorandum of understanding between Italy and Libya is canceled immediately and in any case before it is automatically renewed for another three years, on November 2, 2022;
- forms of assistance to Libyan forces that lead to the containment of people in situations of abuse are stopped, and cooperation with Libya on migration is conditional on the approval by Libya of concrete measures aimed at protecting the human rights of refugees and migrants;
- action is taken, in concert with the Libyan government and with European states and institutions, to ensure that migrants and refugees arbitrarily detained in detention centers in Libya are released and transferred to a safe place;
- a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the consequences of cooperation with Libya on border control is created.
SPAIN
17 people rescued
GERMANY
“Don’t forget Afghanistan” petition by Pro Asyl
Tens of thousands of people in Afghanistan are still in mortal danger. That is why PRO ASYL, the Kabul Airlift and the local Afghan staff sponsorship network are demanding, among other things, direct evacuations from Afghanistan, simplified visa procedures, visas on arrival and a reform of the local staff procedure.
You can read the demands in full and sign the petition here.
Squalid conditions discovered at migrant workers’ accommodation along German-Dutch border
Mold and pests have been discovered at migrant workers’ accommodation in North-Rhine Westphalia following a raid by German and Dutch authorities to investigate the conditions at the facilities, media reported.
Federal and state authorities raided six centres in the district of Kleve where mostly meatpacking workers from Romania and Bulgaria live in terrible conditions. The authorities reported “significant fire safety deficiencies, mold, pest infestation, a lack of electricity and building faults, among other things,” media reported. Many of the workers had been trafficked and exploited for their labour.
EU / FRONTEX
Ylva Johansson proposes sending armed troops to Senegal to curb migration
Schengen states could soon exercise sovereign powers beyond national borders
Are French authorities allowed to bug the car of an environmental activist and use hidden cameras when she is on her way to Spain? After blowing up an ATM, can German police pursue suspects as far as the Netherlands and use firearms? How far inland can such an arrest operation go? The European Union wants to clarify these and other questions in the field of internal security in a new initiative.
Read more about the proposed police cooperation currently being discussed by EU member states at this link.
WORTH READING
Literaturairmenas: What’s worse — drowning in the Mediterranean or freezing in the woods? (in Lithuanian)
An interview with activists working along the Lithuanian border.
Refugees.DK: Evacuated Afghans are giving up on Denmark (in English)
Long wait times, confusing rules and uncertain futures are causing many to leave again.
The Intercept: Down and Out on the Smuggler’s Road (in English)
A veteran war reporter goes undercover to document a world where movement is surveilled, curtailed, and criminalized.
The New York Times: ‘We’ve Never Been Smuggled Before’ (in English)
After the U.S. withdrawal and with their country’s economy collapsing, countless Afghans are trying to escape. Who does the West consider worthy of saving?
Find daily updates and special reports on our Medium page.
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