Dutch minister Sigrid Kaag calls for closure of Libyan detention centres
3 Apr 2018

Dutch minister Sigrid Kaag calls for closure of Libyan detention centres

by | posted in: Africa, Asylum Seekers, Detention, European Union, Horn of Africa region, Human Trafficking, IOM, Libya, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Netherlands, The Netherlands, Torture, UNHCR, United Nations | 0

After paying a visit to a detention centre in Libya, the Dutch minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Sigrid Kaag, has declared that the conditions are inhumane. She calls for the closure of the detention centres as soon as possible. She is reported to be the first EU policy maker to openly state this. She continues that alternatives such as open reception centres should be created.

News Highlights: Eritrean government-linked interpreters in Europe, UN identifies possible war criminals in South Sudan, French asylum law criticized
1 Mar 2018

News Highlights: Eritrean government-linked interpreters in Europe, UN identifies possible war criminals in South Sudan, French asylum law criticized

by | posted in: EEPA news and activities, Eritrea, European Parliament, France, Horn of Africa region, Migration, South Sudan, Sudan, The Netherlands, United Nations, Weekly news highlights | 0

In this week’s news highlights: Eritrean government-linked individuals in Europe acting as interpreters for Eritrean asylum seekers; Eritrean meeting in London cancelled after diaspora protests; UN urges Sudan to end impunity for rape crimes; South Sudan on the brink of famine; South Sudanese military officially accused by UN for perpetrating war crimes; Number of unaccompanied children refugees in South Sudan worrying; French draft law on asylum criticized as unbalanced; Frontex would not mind becoming the new European law enforcement agency; UNDP discusses the shortcomings of the Sustainable Development Goals in the European Parliament.

Head of Eritrean embassy office in The Hague declared ‘persona non grata’
17 Jan 2018

Head of Eritrean embassy office in The Hague declared ‘persona non grata’

by | posted in: EEPA news and activities, Eritrea, Netherlands, The Netherlands | 0

17 January 2018 – The Dutch Government has declared the head of the Eritrean embassy office in The Hague ‘persona non grata’ and has demanded his immediate departure. The decision followed a motion issued by the Dutch parliament to close the Eritrean embassy. The decision for dismissal was made after reports of the intimidation and coercion, especially connected to the collection of the 2% Eritrean diaspora tax, stirred political and societal unrest in the Netherlands. In addition, the Dutch government was shocked by evidence of coercion to pay the tax and to sign a ‘regret form’ recorded by Dutch radio programme Argos.