AYS News Digest 14/10/22: Frontex covered up human rights violations and illegal refoulements, OLAF report proves
OLAF report reveals Frontex’s complicity in systematic pushbacks/ Hunger strike in Polish detention centre/ The person treated inhumanely at the Polish border is still missing/ Inhumane treatment and asylum right violations in Latvia according to Amnesty International report/ Court of Ragusa rules insulting immigrants on social networks is a crime/ Asylum seekers left without any shelter in Belgium// And more
FEATURE
EU anti-fraud agency OLAF report reveals Frontex’s complicity in systematic pushbacks
The European border agency covered up human rights violations: Frontex made sure illegal pushbacks would not be witnessed, documented, investigated or accounted for
DER SPIEGEL, together with Lighthouse Reports, wrote about the report’s contents in July. On 13 October, Der Spiegel published the entire report.
Fabrice Leggeri (previous Frontex Director) was forced to resign last April over the report and previous investigation led by Der Spiegel and Lighthouse Reports. Among other things, the report highlights how Leggeri lied at least 11 times before Parliament (read the Lighthouse Reports thread). The European Border Agency covered up violence against asylum seekers perpetrated by the Greek Coast Guard in the Aegean Sea, in addition to co-financing some Greek assets that were implicated in pushback operations
Despite clear evidence, Frontex Director Kalnaja keeps denying this. She said:
“We would like to reiterate that Frontex’s actions in the Aegean Sea region had been carried out in compliance with the applicable legal framework”
Following these revelations, Front- LEX announced that they are taking Frontex Director Kalnaja to court, asking it to rule that Kalnaja must terminate Frontex’s operations in the Aegean Sea.
We wrote about the Front-LEX decision in the recent digest:
But to be proven is not only Frontex’s responsibility in illegal rejections by Greek border guards. Frontex covered up a pushback from Malta to Libya as well (read more here)
At Europe’s external borders, securitarian border management has been favoured for years, going so far as to fund Frontex with 754 million a year. Recent evidence urges a rethinking of European border administration, favouring legal ways of entry for those seeking to reach a safe country: the right to asylum has not been guaranteed by Frontex, as it has been involved in illegal pushbacks.
Read more about the OLAF report here:
SERBIA
People on the move increase in Serbia
Safe routes for those seeking to reach a safe country continue to be an urgent need. This, however, remains unheeded.
KlikAktiv, which has been supporting people in need since 2014, has issued an update on the situation on the Balkan Route, particularly in Serbia. Turkey’s deportation policies to Syria and Afghanistan frighten many people who therefore decide to take the route. Families, single women and minors arriving in Serbia are on the rise, and new informal camps are springing up in the north of the country, in the face of overcrowding in institutional camps
Read more here
The increase in numbers parallels the institutional violence and evictions we have discussed here:
POLAND
Hunger strike in a closed detention centre
The poor conditions in the closed camps in Poland have led those detained to begin another hunger strike. No Border Team talks about in this post.
The strikers said:
“This strike is a form of peaceful protest and to draw public attention to the inhumane practices used in so-called detention centers, but which we will continue to call the camps of destruction of human dignity, which is what they actually are. We will continue the strike until this inhumane treatment changes”
Grupa Granica demands information about the man who was treated inhumanly while being stuck at the border fence
A man’s photo had been circulated as he was stuck to the fence at the Polish border. The authorities mocked the man despite the extremely difficult and dangerous situation he was suffering.
Polish border guards made racist and degrading comments while filming him as the man was being seriously injured (see our 10/10/22 digest).
Grupa Granica stated in a tweet:
We demand information about the man who was treated inhumanly by the authorities. We demand legal consequences for those who use violence and abuse migrants and migrants.
The family of missing Mohammed Sabah recognized him in the photos.
Piotrs Czaban reported about that, here and here
The missing Mohammed Sabah was detained in Poland by the Border Guard and then pushed back to Belarus; there is still no further news. Read about it here at this link
LATVIA
Amnesty International denounces inhumane treatment and asylum right violations in Latvia
Lithuania systematically implements illegal pushbacks to Belarus and tortures and arbitrarily detains asylum seekers.
Pushabacks and arbitrary detentions are compounded by violence during refoulement. Some people have suffered beatings and electric shocks with tasers, including on their genitals. In addition, some people were forcibly and illegally forced to return “voluntarily” to their countries of origin.
Read more here and read the Amnesty International report at the following link:
ITALY
Court of Ragusa rules insulting immigrants on social networks is a crime
“Why didn’t they first send them to the hospital for six months and then to jail?”
These kinds of racist slurs appeared on Facebook in September 2014, following an argument between a group of Italians and a group of Tunisians. The Borderline Sicilia association had filed the complaint and the first convictions by the Court of Ragusa stated that insulting immigrants on social networks is a crime.
This is a historical ruling in the absence of a regulation on digital behaviour. The incitement to hate on social media is a reflection of a broader political and social trend to criminalise migration regardless, with hate speech supported even among important political figures. This trend has led to the most recent developments in September 2022 in Italy, when the far-right party of Giorgia Meloni, whose positions on migration are extremely harsh, won the election.
Policies of militarization and externalisation of borders have been pursued for years by Italy and Europe. The memorandum between Libya and Italy will be renewed soon. Protests against the memorandum have been organised in many European countries
BELGIUM
Asylum seekers are being left without any shelter due to the reception crisis
The Immigration Bureau reportedly assists 200 to 230 people a day. Although asylum seekers who fail to register must receive an invitation within a legal limit of three days, people have been put on the street, according to ECRE. Belgium has been failing to provide reception to applicants for international protection since October 2021, according to ECRE.
SWEDEN
Tough times for undocumented people and migrants following new Swedish government
“The Moderates, Christian Democrats and Liberals will build a government and cooperate with the Sweden Democrats in parliament”
This was announced by Ulf Kristersson, Conservative Moderate Party leader. Sweden Democrats has its historical roots in the white supremacist fringe: now it will participate in the new Swedish government and is the biggest party in the coalition block, figuring as a “support party”. The anti immigration, rightwing party have recently influenced the country’s immigration policies, as well as the public discourse around migration (read more here and here) And now it is very clear that life will become much more difficult for migrants and undocumented people. The number of UN-quota refugees will also decrease from 5000 to 900 a year. Learn more about the migration/integration policy here (page 29 and onwards)
WORTH READING:
- The European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) updates on migration in its weekly bulletin:
Find daily updates and special reports on our Medium page.
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