Amid a rise in the number of irregular arrivals intercepted at the country’s border, the Slovenian government has introduced increased border controls along its Croatian and Hungarian borders and announced plans to establish a migrant “handling facility” at the Obrežje border crossing. According to Slovenian police, 60,587 people were intercepted while attempting to enter Slovenia […]
European Union
Poland: Detainees Hold Largest Hunger Strike To-Date; Poles Called To Vote on Refugee and Migrant Policies
Between 5 and 9 September, immigration detainees in Poland’s Przemysl detention centre (Guarded Centre for Aliens) held a hunger strike against “arbitrary detention” and their prolonged detention in the centre. Taking place against a backdrop of growing anti-migrant rhetoric in the run up to the country’s October elections and referendum, this was the largest collective […]
The removal operation: preparations and conduct In Germany (from report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture 2023 visit to Germany)
A. The removal operation: preparations and conduct; (Read full CPT report) 8. A main destination for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, Germany has over the past decade received the highest number of asylum seekers in the European Union (EU).8 Since 2015, the country has pursued several initiatives and restrictive measures to reduce the number of […]
Estonia’s Detainee Mobile Phone Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
In June, Estonia’s Supreme Court ruled against a ban on immigration detainees using their mobile phones. Challenging restrictions on detainees’ ability to access the internet, the court also held that access to the internet is a human right which must be upheld by detention centre management. […]
Imprisonment Rather Than Protection: Pylos Survivors Detained in Greece
On 14 June, hundreds of refugees and migrants lost their lives in the Mediterranean’s deadliest shipwreck in nearly a decade. As many as 750 individuals are believed to have been in the boat when it capsized, but just 104 were found alive. Taken ashore, survivors were met not with protection and sanctuary, but detention in […]
Romania’s Treatment of Migrants and Asylum Seekers Challenged by UN Committee against Torture
On 19 and 20 July, the UN Committee against Torture (CAT) considered the third periodic report of Romania. In its concluding observations following its review, CAT noted several concerns regarding the treatment of migrants and asylum seekers in the country, including the immigration detention of vulnerable groups such as unaccompanied children and victims of torture; […]
Trapped Between Borders: Tunisia’s Alarming Treatment of Sub-Saharan Migrants
Tunisia has come under renewed criticism from rights groups after authorities rounded up sub-Saharan migrants and asylum seekers and forcefully relocated them to a buffer zone between the Tunisian and Libyan border. Videos shared online show men, women, and children–some with injuries–stranded close to the sea, reportedly without any food or water. Surging Discrimination According […]
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Secrecy and Confusion Surrounding New Detention Centre for “Fake Asylum Seekers”
In 2022, the EU announced plans to fund a new detention unit within the grounds of a Temporary Reception Centre near Bosnia’s north-western border with Croatia. In recent months, however, significant confusion and controversy has emerged surrounding the centre. […]
Immigration detention facility in Estonia (from report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture 2014 visit to Estonia)
c. immigration detention facility ; (Read full CPT report) 31. The procedure for the detention and expulsion of foreign nationals is governed by the Obligation to Leave and Prohibition of Entry Act, the State Borders Act and the Act on Granting International Protection to Aliens. Persons who have not been permitted to cross the border […]
Italy and the EU “Complicit” in Crimes Against Non-Nationals in Libya
The brutal treatment of refugees and migrants in Libya has been widely condemned and reported. Intercepted by the country’s coastguard and returned to Libyan “disembarkation zones,” non-nationals are placed in immigration detention facilities where conditions are inhuman. They face indefinite detention with frequent water and food shortages; overcrowding; physical mistreatment and torture; forced labour and […]
