Reports of abuse in Triq al Sikka detention centre in Libya – refugees still detained
28 Feb 2019

Reports of abuse in Triq al Sikka detention centre in Libya – refugees still detained

by | posted in: Detention, Libya, Migration, Trauma, Uncategorized | 0

Human rights lawyer Giulia Tranchina posted a plea on social media to immediately gain access to and evacuate refugees that were severely abused in the Libyan Triq al Sikka detention centre. According to the post, hundreds of Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees were severely beaten by Libyan police. A small group is still being held in the centre and is told that the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will no longer be allowed access to them.

News Highlights: European Parliament approves border funding, France equips Libyan coast guard, Testimony on organ trafficking in Egypt
21 Feb 2019

News Highlights: European Parliament approves border funding, France equips Libyan coast guard, Testimony on organ trafficking in Egypt

by | posted in: Asylum Seekers, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Frontex, Human Trafficking, Libya, Mediterranean Sea, South Sudan, Sudan, Torture, UNHCR, Weekly news highlights | 0

In this week’s News Highlights:  Sudan student rallies ramp up as more arrests take place; UN Security Council discusses Eritrea – Djibouti relations; UNHCR reports on plans for refugees in Ethiopia; the UN reports high levels of violence in South Sudan;  More refugees flown from Libya to Niger; France provides equipment to Libyan Coast Guard; the consequences of economic crisis in Libya; testimony on organ trafficking in Egypt; LIBE Committee votes to increase border management funding; EU’s migration policy aids human trafficking, states article; Sea Watch 3 vessel still blocked in Sicily; documentary on Mediterranean Sea boats is nominated for Oscar; and the Council of Europe reports on refugees camps conditions in Greece.

NGO search and rescue missions face increasing challenges on the Mediterranean Sea – Sea Watch 3 vessel still blocked
21 Feb 2019

NGO search and rescue missions face increasing challenges on the Mediterranean Sea – Sea Watch 3 vessel still blocked

by | posted in: European Union, Frontex, Italy, Libya, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Refugees in the EU | 0

Twenty days after entering the port of Catania in Italy, the Sea Watch 3 rescue ship remains in one of the Sicily’s ports, as the inspection of the Dutch authorities requested further maintenance of the ship in order to ensure “the ship’s conformity to regulations in force”. The ship has been kept in the port by the Italian Coast Guard since the first inspection on 31 January 2019. Kim Heaton-Heather, who is responsible for the search-and-rescue operations of the Sea Watch 3, says that by blocking the vessel, the Dutch authorities fuel the anti-migrant sentiment that has been spreading among EU’s political powers, which intensifies the anxiety of refugees aiming to reach a safe country.