AYS News Digest 27/08/2022: Worsening conditions for refugees in Ter Apel reception centre led to the death of a three-month-old baby in the Netherlands
A dead man was found inside a truck in Italy/ Eighty-five people rescued near Zakynthos coasts and 87 in the Maltese area/ UK has announced a plan to speed up deportations to Albania/ Pushbacks, deportations and raids in the new Border Violence Monitoring Network report/ Upcoming eviction of Eleonas camp in Greece
FEATURE
Inhumane living conditions at Ter Apel refugee reception centre in the Netherlands
A three-month-old baby died in the overcrowded centre of Ter Apel, while another two men have been urgently taken to hospital. These are the latest incidents due to the critical conditions that asylum seekers are facing in the reception centre in northern Netherlands. People’s health is at risk, and it is not surprising that extreme cases are occurring.
Indeed, Judith Sargentini, director for MSF (Doctors Without Borders) Netherlands, had already warned that:
“If this situation continues, it could lead to serious medical emergencies”
(read more here)
On Wednesday 24th, 700 hundred people slept outdoors, waiting to lodge their asylum request and unable to have access to the facility. After the assessment of last Friday, MSF decided to deploy a medical team outside the centre. This is the first time MSF has provided medical assistance and psychological support in the Netherlands.
The government seems unable to cope with the current situation and MSF is taking on the responsibility for making up for the administration’s ineffectiveness.
MSF said the following in their instagram channel on Thursday 25th:
“As of today we are providing medical care at Ter Apel. The living conditions are inhumane and need to be changed immediately. Our/the next step is absolutely the government. Till that time we are not leaving the people at the gates alone”
Amnesty International denounced the conditions at Ter Apel, highlighting the inefficiency of the Netherlands government over the past months to face the delays and deficiencies of the reception facility. The government has stated it plans to vacate the site within the next few days, but MSF seems concerned that human rights will not be respected, as they stated in a tweet.
While many people are forced to sleep in the area around the centre, the government is searching for other solutions and places where to accommodate asylum seekers. However, the discontent and resentment of the right-wing segment of the population is creating obstacles. Recently, racist protests have “welcomed” new refugees across the country. A recent example: residents of the small city of Albergen have been demonstrating against plans to house up to 300 asylum seekers in a local hotel there. Other racist protests were held in the past few days. Find out more here:
This is an alarm pinting to the general political scenario. The situation has reached an extreme point as a consequence of failing European asylum policies. MSF have called for a change in the entire European approach to migration and asylum as stated in their twitter thread:
Last Friday, a demonstration was held in Amsterdam to demand humane treatment of people left in the administrative void. The platform Stop Racism had led protests in the days before, deconstructing the idea that the issue is linked to arrival numbers.
The reasons for the current circumstances are multiple, from a general housing shortage to a lack of cooperation and distribution among municipalities. (Read more here)
The party BIJ1, which joined the demonstration, said:
“We see a deluge of racism and xenophobia spread across the country, fueled and normalized by the far right”
The cause of the crisis in Ter Apel is the result of the entire approach to asylum policies and the government’s inability to respond to racist slogans that have prevented a quick solution. Here is the Platform Stop Racism’s tweet .
SEA
Eighty-five people saved around Zakynthos after hours of distress
After over 20 hours drifting near the greek island of Zakynthos, 85 people have been saved.
After more than four days of traveling to Italy, the sailboat’s engine broke down. Until now the Greek authorities had refused to rescue the boat in distress.
The people on board feared for hours that they would be turned back to Turkey, despite having expressed their intention to seek asylum. As a result of the rescue, however, they will now be able to apply for asylum in Greece.
Eighty-seven people rescued in the Maltese area
Early this morning, on 27th August, 87 people were rescued by SOS Mediterranee in the Maltese area.
CYPRUS
Five men detained under suspicion of smuggling
After a sea rescue of 37 people from Syria, five of them were arrested by Cypriot authorities accused of being human traffickers. The number of detentions of suspected smugglers has increased: 50 people have been arrested in 2022 alone, according to the authorities
GREECE
Call for solidarity on 30th August to stand against the eviction of Eleonas refugee camp
According to reports, the clearance of the Eleonas refugee camp will be finally completed on August 30th, forcing the displacement of many migrants currently living there.
The eviction began violently on August 19th, when police raided inside the camp. Faced with the resistance shown by camp residents, the police responded with tear gas and excessive use of force.
Here is our digest about the start of the clearance process
On August 30th, the local community and migrants are called upon to resist in a joint struggle against eviction.
BALKAN ROUTE
BVMN’s July report denounces ongoing pushbacks, deportations and police raids
The Border Violence Monitoring Network’s July report is out. Police raids on an abandoned building make life even more difficult for people in transit in northen Serbia. Meanwhile, illegal pushbacks from Macedonia to Greece have not stopped. Moreover, in July many refugees from Turkey were returned to Afghanistan. The policy of deportations also affected two Pakistani nationals who were forced to return to the country from Bosnia. Bosnia is the first country along the Balkan Route carrying out this type of policy.
ITALY
A dead man was found inside a truck in Italy following a journey in extreme conditions
Last August 24th, in the province of Cremona, a migrant was found dead inside a truck from Turkey. The death was caused by the heat and the absence of air, water and food: conditions forced by the absence of legal routes leading to increasingly risky and difficult journeys. Read more here
UK
UK has announced a plan to speed up deportations to Albania
Last Friday, August 25th, a man from Albania was taken to Harmondsworth removal centre after a decade living in the UK. He has no criminal record and has two children born in the UK; however the authorities told him he will face imminent deportation. He commented to The Guardian:
“They gave me no explanation, just taking me to [the] police station, holding me there and then to the immigration centre. They treat me like an animal”
On Thursday 25th, the British Home Office announced a plan for the fast-track removal of rejected asylum seekers. Read more here:
The Home secretary Priti Patel said:
“Thanks to our excellent levels of co-operation with Albania, we will take every opportunity to speed up removals of Albanians with no right to be in the UK”
According to the authorities, 2.165 Albanians arrived in the country in 2022, crossing the Channel in small boats. The main goal now, with closer cooperation with Albania, seems to be to discourage the arrival of people by sea. The new policy and agreement with Albania make it more difficult for Albanians to obtain asylum, find work, and live in the UK.
British immigration officers will immediately process asylum claims made by Albanians entering the UK on small boats, and those with no right to remain in the country will be removed.
This adds to the ongoing attempt to criminalize everyone who arrives across the Channel. The inability to obtain legal access leads many asylum seekers to reach the UK by boat.
Recently, some newly arrived asylum seekers have received letters telling them their asylum claims were inadmissible in the UK and that the process would be continued in Rwanda, where they will be taken soon. The first attempt to bring asylum seekers to Rwanda was stopped in June thanks to legal actions, but the government continues to follow this path. Read more here in an article written by The Guardian.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- The New humanitarian: the article analyses the situation over the past five years of Rohingya refugees residing in camps in Bangladesh. Conditions are increasingly deteriorating and government restrictions toward humanitarian aid have increased
The rohingya detention scenario in Myanmar is described instead in the Human Rights Watch report
- The Guardian: The closure of the border between Venezuela and Colombia had led to an increase in violence around the smuggling areas. The population of Colombia is suffering because of the situation and the article wonders how the new president Gustavo Petro will act within this scenario.
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