15 lives lost in the central Mediterranean — 363 rescued by SeaWatch wait for safe port — New lockdown measures in Samos and Greece — UK to expand women’s detention — Denmark attempts to move reception centres to third countries…

Featured — People left on the streets as Filoxenia shuts down

Several evictions are planned for Monday 1st of March from IOM structures throughout the country, part of the ‘Filoxenia’ project, which is shutting down. It is estimated that in total around 7,000 people will be evicted.

As reported by Vasilika Moon, organisation operating in Corinth:

the Filoxenia program provided temporary accommodation to asylum seekers at state-leased hotels. Seventy-nine hotels were…

European migration policy is often unsupportive of human trafficking victims. This widespread failure to recognise the circumstances and the trauma experienced by potential victims turns asylum applications into a ruthless re-traumatising process.

The closure of borders on the Balkan route and the implementation of the EU-Turkey Agreement in 2016 signalled an increasing hostility towards people on the move that has come to characterise EU migration policy in the years since. …

Shamima Begum’s appeal to return to UK denied//Children play “The Game” on the Balkan Route//More rescues, pullbacks to Libya//& more

Are You Syrious?

Feb 27 · 8 min read

FEATURE

Woman charged with arson for attempting self-immolation

Jan Palach. Mohamed Bouazizi. For a long time, self-immolation has been the last resort of desperate people, a form of protest against unjust conditions. On Sunday, a young Afghan mother attempted suicide by setting herself on fire. Instead of getting the help that she needs after so much trauma, she is being charged with arson by the Greek government and could face up to ten years in prison.

The heavily pregnant woman did this after finding out that her family’s relocation to Germany would be delayed, even after they had gone through the gruelling approval process. …

FEATURED

2 specific cases have stood out among those documenting groups of people who had entered Austria and claimed to have asked for asylum, but were nevertheless pushed back by the police. The groups claim their repeated requests for asylum have been ignored. After a few hours they would be handed over to the Slovenian police, who in turn took them to Croatia, from where they were deported to Bosnia. A hearing before the State Administrative Court of Styria is scheduled for March 2.

In 2020 alone, 514 people were handed over to the Slovenian police at the Styrian border; almost…

FEATURE: Over 200 people evicted from Bihać and brought to Lipa

On Wednesday morning, two of the biggest informal settlements in Bihać were evicted, and over 200 people were brought to what is now considered the official Lipa camp. Journalist Franziska Grillmeier reported from on the ground while the evictions were happening. She provided many videos of the police driving busses of people and denying the press access.

“This is a repeating pattern that reportedly happens every few months to the abandoned houses around Bihac — most of the evicted people walked back from Lipa to Bihac again, since there was never enough space in the camp. People are calm right…

Disembarkations in Sicily // Lesvos locals stand in solidarity // Raid on solidarity workers in Trieste // Deportation protests in Austria // Desperate situation in Melilla // Frontex Scrutiny Working Group begins investigation

FEATURE: EU takes Hungary to court over anti- solidarity law

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, individuals and NGOs across Europe have come under more scrutiny and experienced more crackdowns for providing aid and assistance to people-on-the-move. On Lesvos, for example, NGOs working on the north shore were told they would no longer be allowed to attend boat landings, and were also prohibited from even approaching a new quarantine facility with clothes, food and toys. A Bavarian nun is being threatened with a prison sentence for sheltering asylum seekers in her church.

Many of these recent restrictions or simple intimidations are couched, of course, in the name of public…

Disembarkations in Sicily // Lesvos locals stand in solidarity // Raid on solidarity workers in Trieste // Deportation protests in Austria // Desperate situation in Melilla // Frontex Scrutiny Working Group begins investigation

FEATURE: EU takes Hungary to court over anti- solidarity law

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, individuals and NGOs across Europe have come under more scrutiny and experienced more crackdowns for providing aid and assistance to people-on-the-move. On Lesvos, for example, NGOs working on the north shore were told they would no longer be allowed to attend boat landings, and were also prohibited from even approaching a new quarantine facility with clothes, food and toys. A Bavarian nun is being threatened with a prison sentence for sheltering asylum seekers in her church.

Many of these recent restrictions or simple intimidations are couched, of course, in the name of public…