News from the Borders 24.01.2024

• There was a premiere at Humanity 1 on Sunday: The ship's crew also rescued a cat from distress at sea during their mission.

• The new Finnish government, which includes the right-wing populist party "The Finns", plans radical tightening entry and asylum conditions.

• British Prime Minister Sunak wants to deport people seeking protection to Rwanda regardless of their origin. However, the House of Lords rejected the lawalthough the Chamber approved the Asylum Act last week.

News from the Borders 22.01.2024

• Around 150 European organizations and initiatives want to ensure this, that the prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment from the European Charter of Fundamental Rights is respected at the EU's external borders. This offers the opportunity to draw attention to this issue and build up pressure.

• At the weekend, the SOS Balkanroute the first memorial for deceased refugees and 41 new gravestones were dedicated at two cemeteries in the Bosnian towns of Bijeljina and Zvornik. The dead are people seeking protection who drowned in the Drina.

• According to the UN Refugee Agency, 710 refugees lost their lives in the Eastern Mediterranean last year. This means that the number has doubled compared to the previous year.

News from the Borders 19.01.2024

• The German government has passed a law for faster deportations. With Time Online I explain that the law also threatens to criminalize sea rescue. 

• The Constitutional Court in Albania will decide next week whether the "refugee deal" with Italy is legal. DW explainswhere the legal concerns come from.

• Refugees have limited access to the healthcare system. According to a study, they visit the dentist less often than the general population. They are also underserved in other areas of medicine. You can find the study here.

News from the Borders 17.01.2024 

• On September 22, 2014, an officer of the Greek Coast Guard fired thirteen shots at a refugee boat, killing the Syrian father Belal Tello. After nine long years, Greece has now been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). More on this at Pro Asyl.  

• Last night I spoke in the European Parliament about the rise of the right in Europe and their remigration fantasies. Unfortunately, I only had one minute to speak, there was so much more to say. The speech can be found her here.

• In August, I took over the godparenthood for Ehsan Mohammadi, who is now 17 years old. He was facing the death penalty for demonstrating against the Iranian regime. The charges have since been dropped, he had to pay a fine for "disrupting public order", but is now free. More on this at my Instagram. 

News from the Borders 15.01.2024

• I spoke to Deutschlandfunk radio this morning about how we can stop right-wing extremism. Click here for the interview.

• The ban on deportations to Iran has expired, although the regime executed hundreds of people in 2023. We are calling for the deportation ban to be extended. 

• The Taliban are increasingly arresting women for "insufficient veiling" and throwing them into prison. taz reports.

News from the Borders 12.01.2024

• According to Caminando Fronteras, 6618 people died last year trying to reach Spain by boat. Over 6,000 of these were on the route from West Africa to the Canary Islands. You can find the details of the aid organization here.

• In 2023, two thirds of new asylum applications in Germany came from people from Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey. The BAMF has summarized further data in "Asylum key figures 2023".

• Brandenburg's Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) is pushing for payment cards for refugees. In doing so, he disregards the law and serves resentment. 

News from the Borders 10.01.2024 

• On Lesbos, the flimsy proceedings against the lifesavers from Free Humanitarians are being resumed. If convicted, they could face years in prison. taz reports.

• The Greek coastguard recovered two dead people in Lesbos this morning. Their boat crashed into the coastal rocks at around 3 a.m. Stonisi reports (Greek).

• Last Friday, the premises of the NGO Kisa in Cyprus were attacked with a bomb. The anti-racist and refugee solidarity association has repeatedly been targeted by nationalist and far-right forces in the past. Homepage of Kisa.

News from the Borders 8.01.2024 

• The EU Commission wants to conclude a "refugee deal" with Egypt this month. In an interview with RND, I explained that we should not also support military dictatorships with miserable human rights records with EU funds. 

• The Mirror reports on attacks, harassment and beatings by Tunisian security forces and asks to what extent the EU is partly to blame with its support. 

• Thousands of Rohingya are homeless after a fire in an overcrowded camp in Bangladesh. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. tagesschau.de reports.  

• After North Rhine-Westphalia, Thuringia is also issuing a deportation ban for Yazidis. The regulation affects women and underage children and will initially apply until April 2024. Tagesspiegel reports.

• Category: News from the Borders