Migrants and refugees in Colombia find themselves in a particularly vulnerable situation due to the Covid-19 crisis and the measures taken by the government, including confinement and border closures. Many have lost their homes and been left on the street as they are not able to afford rent. UNHCR has urged the country to adopt […]
Detention Data
Austria: Covid-19 and Detention
The Ministry of Justice put in place several restrictive measures in prisons to avoid the spread of Covid-19, including the suspension of family visits. Prisoners may meet with their legal representatives behind a glass window and phone calls and video conferences have been set up. Under newly passed legislation, prison sentences may be postponed for […]
Papua New Guinea: Covid-19 and Detention
On 19 March 2020, authorities announced that penal institutions have been placed in quarantine. New prisoners are tested upon their entry and visits are suspended until further notice. Prisons were then placed in isolation from 24 March 2020 onwards and detainees or staff members that have Covid-19 symptoms will be placed in isolation and suspected […]
Portugal: Covid-19 and Detention
On 28 March, the Portuguese government announced that all migrants living in the country are to be treated as permanent residents during the crisis. Persons must provide evidence of an on-going residency request before they can use the country’s health service, welfare system, bank accounts, and work and rental contracts. These rules would apply from […]
Australia: Covid-19 and Detention
1,100 Australian healthcare professionals have co-signed a letter to the Home Affairs Minister, Peter Dutton, calling for all refugees and asylum seekers to immediately be released from immigration detention. “Failure to take action to release people seeking asylum and refugees from detention will not only put them at greater risk of infection and possibly death,” […]
Nepal Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Nepal Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Nepal, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Nepal Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Nepal: Country Page Nepal: COVID-19 Updates Nepal: International Law […]
New Zealand Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
New Zealand Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from New Zealand, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the New Zealand Detention Data Profile Related Reading: New Zealand: Country Page New Zealand: Domestic Law Report (2016): Immigration Detention in New Zealand […]
Egypt: Covid-19 and Detention
The GDP has been unable to find any reports indicating that authorities have taken measures to assist migrants and asylum seekers, who are generally detained in prisons and police stations in Egypt. On 11 March 2020, the Egyptian government suspended visits to prisoners for 10 days due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Activists have urged the […]
Italy: Covid-19 and Detention
Campaign groups such as the “Campagna Nazionale contro la detenzione amministrativa di migranti” have highlighted the risks of the spread of Coronavirus within immigration detention centres in Italy, especially given the poor hygiene conditions and particular vulnerability of detainees. In addition, Italy’s national detainee rights guarantor, Mauro Palma, has urged the government to assess whether […]
Netherlands: Covid-19 and Detention
The Council of Europe, in a 26 March statement, mentioned Netherlands as being one of a handful of countries in Europe to have released some immigration detainees because of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, other reports indicate that as of the end of March, people continued to be placed in immigration detention and that insufficient steps […]
