Australia - Long term detainees finally walk free
From Melbourne Indymedia
On Friday three detainees walked free from immigration detention. All came out of psychiatric hospitals after years in detention. The longest was 6 years. According to Pamela Curr of the Melbourne Asylum Seekers Resource Centre, "Six long hard years of soul destroying, spirit breaking detention for no moral reason. One permanent protection visa and two temporary visas in the Vanstone lottery."
As Refugee Week approaches the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre are doing an audit of long termers (...)
[ 14 November 2006 ] |
Usa - Fighting To Be Legal
From CYMC
Chawntel Stitts, 16, uses the video camera to document the immigrant rights movement in San Francisco through the eyes of the young people demanding change.
Watch the video.
[ 5 October 2006 ] |
UK - Campsfield detainees on hunger strike
From Indymedia Uk
Over 120 people detained at Campsfield removal centre near Oxford have gone on hunger strike in protest at their indefinite detention (without trial) and the conditions they face.
"...Most of us have been here for a long while now. There are people who have been detained for up to two years and down to three months. We are cramped in here like animals. We are treated like animals and moved around different detention centres like animals. The immigration service have taken husbands from (...)
[ 28 June 2006 ] |
Barcelona (Spain) - More than 50 detainees in a peaceful action
More than 50 detainees in a peaceful action against the new MIGRANT DETENTION CENTRE in Zona Franca
This morning the 2nd European Caravan for the freedom of movement the 1st European caravan took place in Ceuta to denounce the deaths of more than 40 people crossing the border fence- continues with its programme of activities that begun yesterday afternoon. At around 10:30am, more than 100 people from different European countries congregated in front of the doors of what will be the new (...)
[ 28 June 2006 ] |
Belgium 4,000: Demonstrate in support of illegals
Some 4,000 people demonstrated in support of illegals in Brussels on Saturday. The demonstrators protested in favour of what they call "a humane asylum policy".
The demonstration was organised by Udeb, the movement that supports people in Belgium who do not possess the right paperwork.
Udeb groups a number of humanitarian organisations and the trades unions.
The protesters want people who have been living here illegally for many years to receive guarantees that they will be allowed to stay. (...)
[ 21 June 2006 ] |
Roma advocates sue the Danish Red Cross, claim that detention of asylum seekers violates the UN Torture Convention
An AdvocacyNet special investigation
From Oneworld Uk
In a case that has major implications for the treatment of Roma and asylum seekers throughout Europe, Roma advocates in Denmark are suing the Danish Red Cross over the treatment of Roma from Kosovo whose appeal for asylum has been rejected.
The lawsuits are being filed by a Danish advocacy group Romano, on behalf of six Roma families in two Red Cross camps, Sandholm and Anstrup.
The suits allege that entire families have been forced to live in single rooms in the camps for several years, (...)
[ 15 June 2006 ] |
Norway - Update on Afghan refugees’ hungerstrike in Oslo
110 afghan refugees are now on hunger strike in Oslo. Their health condition is deteriorating and the last days 6-7 of them have to go to the hospital. Hungerstrikes by afghan refugees are continuing in to more cities of Norway. From time to time the police is threateing to forcibly stop the refugees’ hungerstrike. The government officially declared they stick to their deportation plan. The refugees organising committee had meeting with various political groups asking again their (...)
[ 14 June 2006 ] |
IOM watch: HRW report on IOM role in Ukraine
Back in November 2005, Human Rights Watch published a report, ’Ukraine: On the Margins: Rights Violations against Migrants and Asylum Seekers at the New Eastern Border of the European Union’. It shows the role of IOM in migration control, illustrates the role Ukraine is supposed to play in the EU’s externalisation process, and reveals serious human rights violations of migrants and refugees in Ukrainian detention centres, including chain deportation/refoulement.
"The report documents the (...)
[ 7 June 2006 ] |
Greece: Migrants detention camps
An examination of the holding centres for illegal immigrants in and around Greece in so-called Fortress Europe The eastern borders of Greece, which are also the exterior borders of the European Union, are almost redrawn by detention camps. These camps are usually former warehouses (on the islands of Mitilini, Chios, Samos, Kos, Rhodos, Evia and in the town of Volos, central Greece). Moreover, police stations in most areas near the borders, as well as in the centre of Athens (Alexandras (...)
[ 30 May 2006 ] |
The hypocrisy of flows decree!
Tuesday, March 14th the so-called Italian lottery started. We are talking about flows decree 2006: the only way of authorising foreign workers’ entry in Italy. 500,000 application forms were given in within few minutes when just 170,000 are the quotas.
This system, enforced by actual Immigration Act – Bossi-Fini law – is rather perverse and as a consequence migrants had to stand days and nights outside post offices. Long queues started few days ago, in some cities on Saturday, March 11th. (...)
[ 16 March 2006 ] |
News of the week - March 9th
Gradisca’s and Bari’s detention centres opened their gates
Padua – A cultural assault against Lega Nord
Bologna – Safety multilingual banners
Uganda – Night commuters
Milan - A migrant citizens’ short film
Kick racism out of football
Padua – Learning informatics! A course open to migrant citizens
Malta - Illegal immigrants march to the airport
Gradisca’s and Bari’s detention centres opened their gates
Finally Mr Pisanu, Home Office secretary, made his goals and the two new opposed (...)
[ 9 March 2006 ] |
Gradisca d’Isonzo (Gorizia): The detention centre shall not open!!!
Mr Giuseppe Pisanu, Home Office secretary, declared that the new detention centres in Gradisca d’Isonzo (Gorizia) and in Bari will immediately open.
This declaration came back on Saturday, February 25th. Minister Pisanu also stated that “the detention centre in Gradisca would have opened the latest on February the 28th”.
Therefore associations, movements and local institutions that have been fighting against the opening of the centre got together and formed a new committee, the (...)
[ 3 March 2006 ] |
Ten Ways to Protect Undocumented Migrant Workers
From Picum
PICUM - the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants - released its report “Ten Ways to Protect Undocumented Migrant Workers” at a reception yesterday at the European Parliament. Keynote speakers included MEP Anne Van Lancker and Wiebke Düvel, representing the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
The report presents detailed information obtained from nearly 50 NGOs, trade unions and other actors working with and advocating for undocumented workers, both in (...)
[ 15 February 2006 ] |
UK - Government increases financial package for voluntary returns
From Refugee Council
People who have claimed asylum could now be entitled to £3,000 to return to their country of origin. The Home Office has announcing a six-month pilot in which they will be adding an enhanced assistance package to all returns under the Voluntary Assisted Return & Reintegration Programme (VARRP) run by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
This package is worth an additional £2000 per person on top of the £1000 worth of reintegration assistance currently available. Individuals (...)
[ 15 February 2006 ] |
News of the week – February 2nd
1) Spain – UTG and Immigration Forum report of the difficulties seasonal workers have in finding accommodation
2) Rumania – Chants and banners against Roma citizens
3) Gradisca (Go) – Against co-operative Minerva: new manager of the detention centre
4) Caltanissetta – Migrants escape from the detention centre
5) Bologna – Petition for the right to vote to foreign citizens
1) Spain – UTG and Immigration Forum report of the difficulties seasonal workers have in finding accommodation (...)
[ 2 February 2006 ] |
