AYS News Digest 13/8/22: Systematic violence on the border between Hungary and Serbia
Human rights violations across Greece, another child in critical condition on Greek territory while pushbacks continue in the Aegean / 35 people injured out of 49 after truck tips over in North Macedonia / Migrants in the UK victims of immigration scams / In other news, people rescued at sea finally reach safety
HUNGARY
Systematic violence on the border between Hungary and Serbia
Recorded patient testimonies and medical data collected by the humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) over the past eight years reveal the repeated use of violence by Hungarian security forces against people crossing the border between Serbia and Hungary.
“The indiscriminate use of violence against exiles on the border between Hungary and Serbia is regular, constant,” says Andjela Marcetic, doctor of MSF in Serbia, in the report by Doctors Without Borders. “Every week we see several people, including some children, with severe bruises, deep wounds and cuts, dislocations and fractures, often on the legs, arms and sometimes on the head.”
Since 2021, MSF’s mobile medical teams have treated 423 victims of border violence with people seeking safety being systematically beaten, humiliated and mistreated.
“The injuries that we treat during these medical consultations correspond to the testimonies of these people who describe violent beatings at the hands of the Hungarian police before the deportations to Serbia. While we can treat some of these injuries, we are also concerned about the long-term impact of such trauma on their mental health..” states Marcetic.
People on the move have been kicked, punched, and beaten with belts and sticks. They have faced various forms of humiliation. The use of pepper spray and tear gas are common deterrent practices, preceding pushbacks and refusal to provide assistance, according to the report. A pattern that repeats itself all across European borders.
SEARCH AND RESCUE AT SEA
NGO Open Arms to rescue 40 people south of Lampedusa
At the last minute, 40 people were rescued, including two children, by the ship ‘Astral’ crew from the Spanish NGO Open Arms on Thursday, August 11. They were sailing south of the Italian island of Lampedusa, with strong winds and rough seas when their boat capsized after many attempts to secure them, according to the NGO. All the people were rescued and transferred to the Italian coastguard ship. Find the rescue in pictures here.
After a fortnight at sea, 87 survivors reach safety in Sicily
On 12 August, 87 individuals seeking protection, including 36 minors, rescued by the German rescue ship Sea-Eye 4, were finally able to disembark in the port of Pozzallo, south of Sicily. The crew rescued people from an overcrowded wooden boat in Malta’s rescue zone two weeks ago. Despite attempts to bring people ashore, the Maltese state has been refusing to allow rescue ships to land for months.
“It is unbearable that the EU’s inability to agree on functioning distribution mechanisms was once again carried out on the backs of people seeking protection,” states the Sea-Eye organization.
GREECE
Human rights violations across Greece and another child in critical condition on Greek territory while pushbacks continue in the Aegean
The Greek state has failed to comply with the European Court of Human Rights ECHR rulings to rescue people stranded on a Greek islet on the Evros River, where a five-year-old Syrian girl died on August 10 after being stung by a scorpion. The life of a nine-year-old who has also been stung by a scorpion hangs in the balance.
Despite the media reports and the order to act immediately and rescue people, the Greek authorities have issued a statement saying the islet on which the refugees are stranded is “outside Greek territory”. However, as Al Jazeera confirms, the lawyers who provided the coordinates maintain that the islet is within Greece.
As repeatedly reported, once again, border violence towards people on the move has been recorded all across Greece. Italian media reports on violence at the border of Greece with Bulgaria. According to people’s testimonies, they have been beaten, humiliated and their belongings stolen by Bulgarian and Greek guards.
In the Aegean sea, pushbacks continue to take place, with a group of 27 individuals, including children, forced into the sea from the island of Samos after being rescued by the Greek coast guard, according to NGO Consolidated Rescue Group.
NORTH MACEDONIA
35 people injured out of 49, after truck tips over
A total of 35 people were injured when the truck they were travelling in overturned close to North Macedonia’s border with Greece. According to North Macedonia’s Interior Ministry, the injured individuals were kept in the cargo area of the truck that fell over. A total of 49 people on the move were discovered at the site of the accident.
With no legal pathways left to reach Europe, people seeking safety find alternative routes and ways to reach their final destination. The so-called Balkan route, considered closed since 2016, is currently being used as a pathway to Europe. People on the move from countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria, use the route from Turkey to Greece and then North Macedonia and Serbia towards Central and Western Europe, reports Balkan Insight.
FRANCE
In the north of France, migrants are victims of “the policy of letting die”, reports InfoMigrants
A 22-year-old South Sudanese man drowned on Tuesday, August 10, in the Bourbourg canal located near an informal camp in Grande-Synthe, in the North of France. His death was due to an accidental fall, according to the French authorities. This is one of the numerous deadly cases of people seeking refuge losing their lives due to road accidents, suicides or drownings.
“This tragedy could have been avoided,” says Marie Chapelle, coordinator of the Utopia 56 association to InfoMigrants. “If the exiles had access to a dignified reception system, if only Hassan had been able to take a shower, he would not have died in this canal, dirty and dangerous, where cargo ships sail”.
UNITED KINGDOM
Migrants in the UK victims of immigration scams
The independent international media platform, Open Democracy, reports on cases of migrants in the UK who have become victims of fake legal advice for immigration applications that have no hope of being accepted. Lawyers and other immigration advisers have been charging fees of up to £2,000, or in some cases even more, to process application forms for migrants in the UK. Such practices are becoming more common and are particularly targeting EU migrants, it is stated in the report.
Worth reading/listening to:
The New Humanitarian illustrates the timeline of Lebanon’s economic collapse through the conversations of five people in the interactive WhatsApp, Lebanon?.
In this playlist, the five contributors share some of the music they have been listening to as life in Lebanon has changed.
Aegean Boat Report: Three people drowned after being thrown into the sea in handcuffs by the Greek Coast Guard
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