NEW GDP PUBLICATIONS
IMMIGRATION DETENTION IN THE GULF:
Global Detention Project Special Report
Labour migrants are a backbone of the economies of all the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council–Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. While much has been reported on the abuses these workers often suffer, very little is known about what happens to them when they are arrested and detained. This GDP Special Report helps fill this gap. Based on a two-year investigation, this report shows that while all the Gulf states provide constitutional guarantees against arbitrary or unlawful arrest and imprisonment, they all make widespread use of forms of immigration-related detention for the purposes of punishing or deporting foreigners, often in situations that may be considered arbitrary or otherwise contrary to human rights norms. DOWNLOAD REPORT
THE UNCOUNTED: The Detention of Migrants and Asylum Seekers in Europe
A Joint Investigation by the Global Detention Project & Access Info Europe
Based on a two-year investigation seeking basic details and statistics about immigration detention practices in 33 countries across Europe and North America, this joint report by the GDP and Access Info Europe reveals that in many countries it is impossible to obtain an accurate picture of the number of migrants and asylum seekers being held in detention. Information is frequently unavailable, many countries refuse to answer freedom of information requests, and when information is released or publicly available it is often incomplete or based on unclear measures that do not fully capture what is happening on the ground. The report concludes that in Europe in particular there is not sufficient transparency in detention regimes to be able to develop a coherent picture of the treatment of detainees or to make informed policy decisions, a fact that is all the more alarming given the large number refugees and asylum seekers currently being apprehended across the continent. Read report here. DOWNLOAD REPORT
Immigration Detention in Argentina
With a new government recently taking power in Latin America’s third largest economy, what is the future of migrants rights in the country? Until now, Argentina has been known for its relative leniency and for its lack of emphasis on detention and deportation, reflecting the practices of nearly all the countries in the region. In 2015, it adopted regulations aimed at establishing human rights-based immigration detention procedures. On the other hand, there have been cases of people being detained for long periods in inadequate conditions and recent initiatives by the former Kirchner government sought to boost deportation numbers.
GDP NEWS & ACTIVITIES
General Assembly: On 4 December the Global Detention Project held its first annual General Assembly in Geneva.
Canton of Geneva: In late December the Canton of Geneva announced that it had selected the Global Detention Project to receive a two-year subsidy to cover the cost of its office space.
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: Mariette Grange participated in an informal meeting of civil society groups workin
Workshop: Detention in Latin America. In late November, Michael Flynn participated in a series of lectures and workshops in Buenos Aires organized by the University of Lanus (Centro de Justicia y Derechos Humanos), UNHCR, the IOM, the Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales, as well as several other local and regional organizations around the theme of human rights and migration in Latin America. Flynn’s presentations focused on how immigration detention practices in South America compare to practices in others regions of the globe and lessons to be learned from these comparisons.
Workshop: Detention Norms and Lebanon. On 17 November Izabella Majcher gave a training session titled “Freedom of Movement and Restrictions thereof, including Detention” as part of the International Refugee Law Course for Lebanese officials organized by the International Institute of Humanitarian Law and UNHCR in Sanremo, Italy.
New journal publication: Matthew Flynn’s 2015 GDP Working Paper Bureaucratic Capitalism and the Immigration Detention Complex was recently adapted for publication in a peer-reviewed online journal from Addleton Academic Publishing. More information available here.
Detention and the EU Returns Directive. On 6 October, Izabella Majcher published an article titled “The CJEU’s Ruling in Celaj: Criminal penalties, entry bans and the Returns Directive” on the website EU Law Analysis, which analyses the most recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding the EU Returns Directive.
European Programme for Integration and Migration (EPIM). In Fall 2015, GDP staff members participated in a series of workshops in Cyprus and Bulgaria during which new EPIM-supported advocacy projects on immigration detention designed by local NGOs were officially launched. GDP staff served as external advisers to the EPIM team evaluating the projects. The projects are part of EPIM’s 2015-2105 pilot sub-fund on immigration detention.
