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- INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
CENTRAL AMERICA: UNHCR: Majority fleeing Venezuela in need of refugee protection – Given the worsening political, economic, human rights and humanitarian situation in Venezuela that to date has seen 3.7 million people leave the country, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) stresses that the majority of those fleeing the country are in need of international refugee protection, based on the wider criteria of the 1984 Cartagena Declaration applied in Latin America.
MIDDLE EAST: MEMO: The health and dignity of Palestine refugees remain at risk, says UNRWA - The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) released its annual report this week stressing that although its services continued “uninterrupted” during 2018, the “health and dignity” of the refugees “remain at risk” due to the agency’s continuing financial crisis. With the US the largest Donor cut all their funding to the agency last year.
POLICY: EU: EU Information Systems - Interoperability - Regulation EU 2019/818 - Police and judicial cooperation, asylum and migration – The European parliament and the council passed a regulation (EU) 2019/818 on establishing a framework for interoperability between EU information systems in the field of police and judicial cooperation, asylum and migration.
SEARCH & RESCUE: Statewatch: UN special rapporteurs call for withdrawal of Salvini decree criminalising search and rescue activities – Statewatch reports that Six UN special rapporteurs and independent experts have written to the Italian government demanding the withdrawal of an interior ministry directive that prioritises 'security concerns' over international human rights obligations arising in the course of search and rescue operations.
FRANCE: Migreurop: Guerre aux migrant·e·s : la justice française entérine la coopération de la France avec le gouvernement libyen – The network Migreurop reports that the administrative Court of Paris rejected the complaint of several associations and NGOs about France’s delivery of boats to the Libyan coastguard. By providing logistical support, France is still complicit in the human rights violations committed in Libya against migrants and refugees, Migreurop stresses.
GERMANY: Pro Asyl: Afghanistanflieger: Mit Misshandlungen in die Obdachlosigkeit? – On the day of the 24th charter flight deporting people from Germany to Afghanistan, the NGO Pro Asyl is concerned that the German authorities have not addressed the criticism of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) of the Council of Europe, which said Germany needed to ensure better treatment of foreign nationals being removed by air. Pro Asyl also underlines the fact that the situation in Kabul is not safe for returns.
GERMANY: Council of Europe: Commissioner urges German Parliament to increase the human rights safeguards of the bill for improving the implementation of expulsion of migrants - The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe published a letter to a German government official, in which she raises concerns about the bill aimed at facilitating removals of people obliged to leave the country (“Geordnete-Rückkehr-Gesetz”). She is particularly concerned that the measure that classifies information relating to the practical steps leading to a removal as state secrets could lead to criminalisation of civil society and NGOS.
HUNGARY: Council of Europe: Hungary should address interconnected human rights issues in refugee protection, civil society space, independence of the judiciary and gender equality – A report on Hungary by the Commissioner of Human Right finds that the government’s stance against immigration and asylum seekers has resulted in a legislative framework which undermines the reception of asylum seekers and the integration of recognised refugees. The Commissioner urges the authorities to refrain from using anti-migrant rhetoric and campaigns fuelling xenophobia.
USA: The Guardian: Fifth migrant child dies after being detained by US border patrol - The US government says a 16-year-old Guatemalan died on Monday at a border patrol station in south Texas. The teenager was reportedly apprehended in south Texas’s Rio Grande valley on 13 May; the cause of his death is unknown. It is the fifth death of a migrant child since December, after a two, a seven, an eight and a sixteen year old have died in custody at the border.
Politico.eu: In Greece, a refugee puts migration on the ballot – Politico tells the story of Yonous Muhammadi, who fled Afghanistan in the early 2000 and stands for European elections on the list of the governing Syriza party three months after receiving his Greek citizenship. His campaign focuses on countering far-right violence and racism.
Border Criminologies Blog: 28 Days: The Impact of the ‘Move On’ Period for Refugee Mental Health - Once granted refugee status in the UK, refugees have to secure housing and financial resources within 28 days, after which time they no longer receive asylum support. This blogpost looks into the challenges faced by refugees during this ‘move on’ period, which, as research shows, can lead to deteriorating mental health and poses an obstacle in rebuilding their lives.
IRC: Refugees call on Congress to fight for welcome - The International Rescue Committee introduces five new Americans who after escaping conflict and rebuilding their lives are now standing up for the rights of other refugees. They are using their voices to highlight the strength, determination and courage of individuals like themselves who are contributing to America’s culture and economy.
Swiss Info: Has the UN lost the refugee debate in Europe? - BBC’s Imogen Foulkes discusses the shift in the debate on refugees and migration in Europe in recent years and the role of the UN’s humanitarian discourse. As politicians in certain coutries such as Italy increasingly ignore crticism of their policies by the UN she asks how the UN can reclaim this debate.
Advocate.com: 21 Photos of LGBTQ Refugees Waiting for Asylum – The photo documentary essay “Caza de Luz” documents the life of a group of Central American LGBTQ+ refugees that took shelter in an abandoned house in Tijuana, Mexico, while waiting for their asylum papers. The photos attempt to showcase a perspective different from the victimization and violence visual representations of refugees are often associated with.
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With kind regards,
Hannah Berwian
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Hannah Berwian
Communications Assistant
p: +32 2 234 38 22
a: Rue Royale 146, Brussels
e: hberwian@ecre.org
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Disclaimer:
Please note that the information of the press review is taken from publicly available information provided by media companies, organisations and blogs. All the sources are clearly ascribed and ECRE is not claiming any authorship over the content. The Press Review does not necessarily reflect the views of ECRE. This document is just a relay to the original articles and makes it easier to find stories concerning asylum issues. If you are the publisher of some of the information and would like it removed from this document, or if you would like to see a particular story published in the Press Review, please email: hberwian@ecre.org
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