Italian prosecutors continue strategy of charging rescuers involved in SAR operations in the Mediterranean // Unaccompanied minors in Greece challenge systematic pushback practice // UK Home Office warned of precarious health situation before agreeing to send migrants to former military barracks // and more….
Are You Syrious? Mar 5 · 11 min read
FEATURED: EU and FRONTEX
A new investigation report by the Frontex monitoring group on illegal pushbacks in the Aegean Sea, prompted by investigation of Der Spiegel and other media, has recently been issued.
“The investigation report now shows that Frontex itself documented the pushbacks in detail. Internal documents on the incidents investigated show that the Greek coast guard stops refugee boats, sometimes drives past them at high speed, tows the sometimes completely overcrowded boats towards Turkey and then abandons the people at sea. The report also shows that the Frontex leadership is aware of this…
Italian prosecutors continue strategy of charging rescuers involved in SAR operations in the Mediterranean // Unaccompanied minors in Greece challenge systematic pushback practice // UK Home Office warned of precarious health situation before agreeing to send migrants to former military barracks // and more….
FEATURED: EU and FRONTEX
A new investigation report by the Frontex monitoring group on illegal pushbacks in the Aegean Sea, prompted by investigation of Der Spiegel and other media, has recently been issued.
“The investigation report now shows that Frontex itself documented the pushbacks in detail. Internal documents on the incidents investigated show that the Greek coast guard stops refugee boats, sometimes drives past them at high speed, tows the sometimes completely overcrowded boats towards Turkey and then abandons the people at sea. The report also shows that the Frontex leadership is aware of this. …
Anti-racism group in Cyprus faces closure // Desperation after evictions in Greece // Rescues off the Canaries // Calls for volunteers in France // First meeting of Frontex working group // New judicial cooperation over human trafficking
FEATURE — Under fire for search and rescue in the central Med, 1,309 days later
Yesterday in the digest we celebrated the wonderful news that Sea Watch 4 was freed from detention and Sea Watch 3 was given a safe port for the 363 people on board. But every triumph in one arena, it seems, always comes with a setback in another.
The next setback came the following day, with the news that Italian prosecutors have completed a probe into three NGOs and 21 individuals for allegedly aiding illegal immigration in the central Mediterranean—“aiding illegal immigration” being, of course, search and rescue (SAR) work.
Now, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the German…
Safe port for 363 survivors on Sea Watch 3 // Sea Watch 4 will finally be back in the Mediterranean // New research shows Afghanistan is not safe for returnees // Libya: main suspects of killing of 30 people arrested // Hungary: ECtHR says Transit zones were unlawful detention // Italy: Updates from Mediterranea — Mare Jonio // & much more …
Good News! Safe port found for Sea Watch 3 and end of blockade for Sea Watch 4
Sea-Watch 4 is freed again after six months and Sea-Watch 3 found a safe port for 363 rescued people onboard. There hasn’t been much good news recently, so let’s celebrate the ones we have: the Sea-Watch 4 ship is finally free, after being arbitrary blocked from leaving port for six months.
On Tuesday 2nd March, the Administrative Court of Palermo preliminary suspended the detention of the Sea-Watch 4. The ship had been blocked from leaving port since 29th September 2020. Italian authorities blocked the ship on flimsy grounds, for example by claiming the ship had too many life jackets…
Safe port for 363 survivors on Sea Watch 3 // Sea Watch 4 will finally be back in the Mediterranean // New research shows Afghanistan is not safe for returnees // Libya: main suspects of killing of 30 people arrested // Hungary: ECtHR says Transit zones were unlawful detention // Italy: Updates from Mediterranea — Mare Jonio // & much more …
Good News! Safe port found for Sea Watch 3 and end of blockade for Sea Watch 4
Sea-Watch 4 is freed again after six months and Sea-Watch 3 found a safe port for 363 rescued people onboard. There hasn’t been much good news recently, so let’s celebrate the ones we have: the Sea-Watch 4 ship is finally free, after being arbitrary blocked from leaving port for six months.
On Tuesday 2nd March, the Administrative Court of Palermo preliminary suspended the detention of the Sea-Watch 4. The ship had been blocked from leaving port since 29th September 2020. Italian authorities blocked the ship on flimsy grounds, for example by claiming the ship had too many life jackets…
Mar 2 · 11 min read
Press release from Mediterranea Saving Humans after police operation against them // evictions in Greece // deportations from Denmark and Spain // UK to consider life sentences for smugglers // and more…
Press release from Mediterranea Saving Humans after police operation against them // evictions in Greece // deportations from Denmark and Spain // UK to consider life sentences for smugglers // and more…
FEATURE: Home Office is building a new women’s detention centre in County Durham
In a U-turn of a decision, the Home Office is now going to build a new detention centre to imprison women refugees. Choose Love, Women for Women Refugees, and other human rights organisations and activists are strongly against this reversal and calling it a “huge step backwards.”
The Guardian reports that:
“A new network of immigration detention units for women is being quietly planned by the Home Office…
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…
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. …
Are You Syrious?
Daily news digests from the field, mainly for volunteers and refugees on the route, but also for journalists and other parties.
