Although the UN urged Saudi Arabia to cease deportations in April, Riyadh has continued the practice throughout the pandemic. Since March, 2,870 Ethiopian migrant workers have been deported and Ethiopian officials have reported that as of the end of July, some 927 of these deportees were infected with the virus (although the true number is […]
Middle East
Yemen: Covid-19 and Detention
Although it has been devastated by ongoing civil war and famine, Yemen has continued to serve as an important migrant and refugee transit country–with many people often enduring torture, rape, and extortion, as well crossfire and airstrikes. In 2019, the IOM estimated that some 138,000 migrants departed from the Horn of Africa to Yemen in […]
Syria Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Syria Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Syria, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Syria Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Immigration Detention in Lebanon: Deprivation of Liberty at the Frontiers of Global Conflict Syria: Country Page Syria: Relevant International Law […]
Bahrain: Covid-19 and Detention
Responding to the Global Detention Project’s request to complete our Covid-19 survey, Bahrain’s National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) provided a document detailing its role and actions during the coronavirus pandemic. The NIHR’s Committee on Detention & Facilities Visitation, convened on 28 May, affirmed the importance of continuing its visits to correction, rehabilitation, shelter and […]
Immigration Detention in Jordan: Detained by Employers, Locked Inside Refugee Camps, Pushed Back into Conflict Zones
Jordan has long played an important role in hosting refugees from neighbouring Arab states and has the second-largest share of refugees per capita worldwide. Although the country has at times been praised for its reception practices, arrests, forced deportations—including into the Syrian conflict zone—and poor conditions of detention remain critical concerns. […]
Immigration Detention in Algeria: Pandemic Pushbacks
Reports from international organisations and other observers indicate that Algeria has, during the past decade, employed increasingly punitive methods to limit the entry and stay of refugees, asylum seekers, and undocumented migrants. Sometimes under threat of violence, tens of thousands of people—including women and children—have been forcibly deported in desert areas bordering Mali and Niger. […]
Russian Federation: Covid-19 and Detention
Since issuing a moratorium on new detention orders on 18 April (Decree of the President of Russia No.2745) (see 18 April update), Russia has reportedly not issued any new detention orders. This was confirmed by the Civic Assistance Committee and Memorial in a GDP survey on 21 July. The organisations also noted that some foreign […]
Israel Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Israel Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Israel, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Israel Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Israel: Country Page Israel: Detention Centres Israel: COVID-19 Updates […]
Israel: Covid-19 and Detention
Prior to the Covid-19 crisis, large numbers of Palestinians travelled to work in Israel on a daily or weekly basis. However, due to fears that such travel could further spread the virus, Israel’s emergency regulations required Palestinian workers to remain in the country and prevented them from returning to the West Bank. (Authorities issued stay […]
United Arab Emirates Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
United Arab Emirates Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from the United Arab Emirates, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the United Arab Emirates Detention Data Profile Related Reading: United Arab Emirates: Country Page UAE: Joint Submission to the UN Committee on the Elimination of […]