As we approach the end of 2022, we take a moment to look back at the GDP’s work and achievements. From urging immediate international action to address the detention of non-nationals in Ukraine and contributing to the WHO’s first ever report on refugee and migrant health, to successfully encouraging the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to assess Botswana’s immigration detention […]
Migrants in Zambia at Grave Risk of Abuse
On December 11, 27 people were found dead in an agricultural area north of Zambia’s capital, Lusaka. The dead, dumped one on top of the other in the street, are presumed to be Ethiopian migrants. According to a police spokesman who spoke to the BBC, the migrants are believed to have “suffocated to death while […]
The Continued Detention of Non-Nationals in Ukraine’s Volyn Detention Centre
The GDP has received alarming reports detailing the detention of 44 non-nationals in Ukraine’s Volyn Detention Centre (Volyn PTPI) – despite the GDP having called for the release of detainees from the facility in March 2022. Conditions in the facility are reported to be dire, raising serious concerns for detainees’ safety and wellbeing. […]
The Continued Detention of Non-Nationals in Ukraine’s Volyn Detention Centre
The GDP has received alarming reports detailing the detention of 44 non-nationals in Ukraine’s Volyn detention centre (Volyn PTPI). Conditions in the facility are reported to be dire, raising serious concerns for detainees’ safety and wellbeing. (The GDP previously reported about the situation at Volyn, see our 29 April 2022 blog entry below.) Located in […]
Qatar: Covid-19 and Detention
On 7 December, a Filipino worker reportedly died while carrying out repairs at a training facility in Qatar used by the Saudi Arabian football team, marking the latest in a series of work-related incidents connected to the Qatar World Cup. According to the Guardian, approximately 6,500 migrant workers from five countries have died since Qatar […]
A GDP Assessment of the Centre for Policy Studies’ Proposals for UK Detention Reform
On Monday 6 December, the London-based Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) released a report containing proposals for UK asylum reform. Titled Stopping the Crossings: How Britain can take back control of its immigration and asylum system, the report is an unambiguous attempt to spur a “radical policy shift and decisive action” to cut the number […]
China: Covid-19 and Detention
Recent protests in China over strict zero-covid policies made headlines across the globe because of their rarity and intensity. However, missed in much of the coverage were public protests of foreign migrant workers, who have been particularly impacted by the zero-covid policy, including being subject to lengthy quarantine and detention measures. According to one report, […]
Dominican Republic: Covid-19 and Detention
In the past three months, Dominican Republic authorities have significantly stepped up migration controls and forced removals of Haitians, including amongst them pregnant women arrested in hospitals, prompting international condemnation. The country, which has historically pursued a policy of mass deportations, removed more than 60,204 people to Haiti between 1 August and the end of […]
Global Immigration Detention Observatory: The GDP Hosts Second Advocacy Week for Observatory Partners
In November, the GDP hosted its second Geneva Advocacy Week for Global Immigration Detention Observatory partners. Representatives from Lawyers for Human Rights ((LHR), South Africa) and Türkiye-based International Refugee Rights Association (IRRA) joined the GDP in Geneva, attending meetings with key human rights mechanisms to learn more about their work and to bring attention to […]
#FreedomForAll: End Detention Now
On 29 November, the GDP’s Executive Director Michael Flynn joined a panel of international speakers at a People’s Migration Challenge (PMC) webinar exploring global efforts to end immigration detention. Examining the campaign to end the detention of children, Flynn considered some of the lessons that have been learned from this advocacy effort – and how this can help us work towards an end to immigration detention. […]
