AYS News Digest 31/8/22: Malta refuses sea rescues, Frontex report shows
New evidence on how Maltese authorities neglect their duties // UK prepared for next round of Rwanda deportations // New pushbacks from Greece // MSF criticizes discrimination of certain nationalities in Lithuania // New limbo for non-citizen Ukrainians in Germany
FEATURE
Malta refuses sea rescues, Frontex report shows
A ‘Serious Incident Report’ dating from May 2022 confirms that Malta is neglecting its duty to save lives within its search and rescue zone.
The report, issued by the Fundamental Rights Office, refers to a vessel in distress during the night of 12th May this year, when 24 people were ultimately rescued by Sea-Eye 4. The crew of Sea-Eye 4 reported that the captain of a merchant ship had been instructed by Maltese authorities just to observe the boat, in direct opposition to the legal obligation merchant vessels have to assist those in danger at sea.
“RCC Malta told me to keep on monitoring. They asked me to just stay around and keep on monitoring from a distance.” — captain of the oil tanker present.
The report suggests ways that Frontex can help Malta to better understand the law:
“To engage in a dialogue on definitions of vessels in distress and criterion of references to classify when a vessel requires prompt intervention to be rescued.”
The mild language and use of Fundamental Rights seems gravely at odds with the severity of the situation, as well as with incidents reported about Frontex behaviour elsewhere.
Further evidence of Malta’s neglect of duty was published on 30th August, when Sea-Watch reported the boat in distress to the Maltese Coast Guard — who ignored the call, and instead instructed a merchant ship not to assist. Finally, MSF rescue ship the Geo Barents reached the group, who avoided being pulled back to Libya.
Another incident involves a boat that left Lebanon, which also reached out for help. At the time of writing, approximately 57 people were stranded on a vessel with mechanical failure inside the Maltese Search and Rescue Zone with no response from the relevant authorities. The only communication apparent from the Maltese Coast Guard seems to have been instructing a merchant ship — which had provided food and water to the passengers — to leave.
This article about the activities of women at the Tunisian-Libyan border, highlights the horror that people are fleeing from when they leave Libya. People from sub-Saharan Africa who have reached Libya face racism, sexual exploitation, lack of healthcare and worse. Women living in informal settlements have found an expression of this oppression through work with textile crafts.
UNITED KINGDOM
Those detained in the UK, having requested asylum, are facing deportation to Rwanda again. This comes six days before the legal action against the policy is to be heard in the courts. Removal notices are being issued to some people who arrived by small boat since the beginning of the year and protests against deportations, and the policy in general, are taking place at various detention centres.
BID is a legal organisation offering free representation to anyone in UK detention — contact them for immediate support.
GREECE
Pushed back from Greece in the Aegean Sea
A detailed account of one group of people who attempted to claim asylum in Greece has been published by InfoMigrants. The group of 22, who are aged between 19 and 35, were refused entry to Greek territory, the engine of their boat was removed by Greek authorities and they were left adrift.
This is a daily occurrence — according to Turkish government figures, almost 30,000 people have been rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard this year, with most people coming from Afghanistan. Turkey is supported by funding the EU to prevent people entering Greece, totalling €6 billion since 2016.
LITHUANIA
Good asylum seeker, bad asylum seeker
As Lithuania completed its 550km long border fence to Belarus, investing some 150 million Euro in it, to prevent people from crossing, MSF describes the suffering of many asylum seekers in the country. Vulnerable groups are held in prolonged detention and experience “alarming deterioration in their mental health,” MSF warns that the whole procedure is discriminating against certain nationalities and contributes to the continued detention.
Some 700 people, who have crossed from Belarus, are still detained in Foreigner Registration Centres (FRCs). Many have experienced traumatic situations like torture or sexual assaults. MSF provided basic healthcare between January and May 2022, but names detention as the root of the suffering in more than 70 percent of the treated cases between January and March.
Speaking about discrimination of certain nationalities, MSF highlights the sitaution of two examples: Nigerians made up 16% (184 people) of the Kybartai FRC in August 2022, but 28% had their detention extended, while the rate for others is 2%. Indians make up 6% of the population but 15% of the extensions. On the other hand, people from Russia and Belarus had no detention at all and limited freedom of movement. MSF demands an end to the practice of prolonged detention and calls on the authorities to provide a respectful asylum procedure.
GERMANY
Limbo for third-country nationals from Ukraine
Pro Asyl warns that people who left Ukraine without Ukrainian passports are at risk of getting “tolerance” status and being deported. Some 3% of people who fled Ukraine have another nationality, which is some 29,000 people in total. There was a transitional arrangement for them until the end of August which has now expired. If they have spent more than 90 days in Germany, they are required to leave and can be deported. Berlin provides a document allowing them to stay for another six months. But it is not equal to a residence permit and therefore not for working or studying purposes. Pro Asyl urges the interior ministry to treat those people the same way they treat Ukrainians.
GENERAL
Worth Reading: Mixed Migration on the forced migration of some 750,000 Rohingya from Myanmar in 2017
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