The Canadian government’s plans to use federal prisons for immigration detention has drawn the rebuke of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) as well as the ire of an international coalition of civil society groups, who have launched a petition demanding that Canada abandon the plans. The battle over prisons Canada is among […]
Viet Nam: Immigration Detention as Debtors Prison
There is little information available about Viet Nam’s immigration detention practices though people on online chat rooms and social media platforms have an occasion expressed dismay at the country’s “harsh” treatment of overstayers. There have also been reports about periodic crackdowns on irregular Chinese migrants, who are detained, fined, and then deported back to China, as well as of harassment and […]
![Many inmates of Thu Duc prison worked as labourers, securing reductions in their sentences. But some are still in detention over alleged unpaid debts [Chris Humphrey/Al Jazeera]](https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vietnam-prison-hard-labour.jpg.webp)
An EU-Lebanon Refugee Deal Amidst An Unprecedented Crackdown on Refugees
The EU’s recently signed deal with Lebanon to provide financial assistance for hosting refugees and boosting border security comes as Lebanese authorities pursue an “unprecedented” crackdown targeting Syrian refugees. Human rights groups fear that the deal will keep refugees out of Europe while facilitating their deportation to Syria, in violation of human rights obligations. In […]
![Refugee children in a Syrian refugee camp in the Marj area at Bekaa Valley, Lebanon (source: https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/56891/unhcr-to-cut-health-coverage-for-syrian-refugees-in-lebanon)](https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Lebanon-post.jpg)
United States: Immigration Detention Set to Expand Despite Growing Calls to Reduce Detainee Numbers Amidst Reports of Mistreatment and Terrible Detention Conditions
A number of civil society groups in the United States have recently published highly critical reports alleging abusive and inhuman conditions at privately operated immigration detention centres. These include reports of abuse and mistreatment of vulnerable people, medical neglect, and failure to provide access to legal assistance. Private prison operators are nevertheless planning important extensions […]
![Aurora migrant detention facility, Colorado (Source: https://www.advocate.com/news/trans-migrants-mistreatment-detention)](https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aurora-colorado-ice-processing-center-migrant-detention-facility-1024x576.webp)
Lithuania: Reports of Arbitrary Detention, Physical Abuse, and Pushbacks
Recent reports highlight ongoing abuses of migrants and asylum seekers by Lithuanian border guards, including arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, and pushbacks into Belarus. The Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI), a GDP partner in Lithuania, recently documented three cases involving unlawful restrictions of migrants’ liberty, abuses by Lithuanian authorities, and pushbacks to Belarus. According to their report, […]
![Source: Human Rights Monitoring Institute - https://hrmi.lt/en/litigation-concerning-the-pushback-policy-of-migrants-and-the-restrictions-of-their-liberty-implemented-in-the-republic-of-lithuania/](https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Lithuania-post-1024x683.jpg)
Egypt: Detaining and Refouling Sudanese Refugees Fleeing Spiralling Conflict in Sudan
There are increasing calls for Egypt to stop its summary detention and deportation of Sudanese who are fleeing the escalating crisis in their country, as well as growing pressure on the European Union to take steps to prevent its aid to the country from being used to violate the rights of refugees. The conflict in […]
![Screenshot from video of Sudanese detainees reportedly taken from inside an Egyptian military warehouse located near the border town of Abu Simbel (March 2024).](https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sudanese-detained-in-Egyptian-warehoue-near-Abu-Simbel-March-20204.jpg)
Bulgaria: The Alarming Case of Detained Saudi Journalist Abdulrahman al-Khalidi
Bulgaria’s extremely long immigration detention of a Saudi law student and human rights activist reveals the degrading conditions in which migrants and asylum seekers are detained in the country. It also reflects a broader trend in Europe and globally: the de facto use of immigration detention for purposes that may have nothing to do with […]
![Saudi political activist Abdulrahman al-Khalidi (Source: https://www.menarights.org/en/case/abdulrahman-al-bakr-al-khalidi)](https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bulgaria-post.jpg)
Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
96th Session (State Report) – April 2024 Issues Related to the Detention and Forced Return of Child Refugees from Sudan This submission provides context for assessing Egypt’s claims in its State report for to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, submitted on 9 February 2023. The submission focuses particularly on evidence developed by parents on […]
![](https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/EgyptCRC-2024.jpg)
Senegal: Blocking the West African Migration Route
The West African migration route leading to Spain’s Canary Islands saw a major spike in traffic in 2023, increasing by 161 percent compared to 2022, according to the European Union border agency, Frontex. As most of these crossings originate in Senegal and involve mainly young migrants, many under the age of 18, the country’s efforts […]
![Migrants on a boat headed to the Canary Islands, (source: https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/55792/canary-islands-un-steps-in-for-senegalese-teen-held-in-adult-prison)](https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Image-Blog-2.jpg)
Urgent Appeal on the Detention and Refoulement of Sudanese Refugees in Egypt
With the escalating conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese army and opposition paramilitary forces entering its twelfth month, the humanitarian crisis in the country continues to deteriorate, with important spill-over effects into neighbouring Egypt. As large numbers of Sudanese refugees have entered Egypt, Egyptian authorities have responded by ramping up arrests, arbitrary detentions, pushbacks, and […]
![](https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-28-at-17.05.51-789x1024.png)