On April 22 a divided French National Assembly (lower house of the French Parliament) has approved a controversial Immigration law including doubling the maximum period of administrative detention and shortened deadlines for filing asylum claims and appealing...
Over a thousand people have crossed the Evros river, marking the land border between Turkey and Greece, since March this year. Last week over one hundred people arrived each day and 340 people arrived on Tuesday alone. This has led to concerns from authorities and...
According to German Minister of Development, Gerd Müller, German and Iraqi authorities have agreed to work closely on the repatriation of rejected asylum seekers. The aim is to repatriate 10,000 of the 12,000 rejected asylum seekers in Germany. Germany has pledged 1.3...
On Monday, Italy’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal against the seizure of the Iuventa, a rescue ship operated by the German NGO Jugend Ruttet (‘Youth Rescue’). The vessel was seized last summer after an investigation by the Italian authorities into the operation of...
Over 85 countries and NGOs gathered this week for the conference “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region”, in an attempt to revive peace efforts and bolster financial support for humanitarian aid to the war-stricken region. Jointly chaired by the United Nations...
The Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced this week that 29,899 Afghans had crossed into Turkey since January – this compares to a total of 45,259 for the whole of 2017. The Minister said 7,100 migrants have been sent back to Afghanistan since early...
JOINT STATEMENT Greece: Government Defies Court on Asylum Seekers Reinstates Containment Policy That Keeps People Trapped on Islands (Athens, April 25, 2018) – The Greek government’s move on April 20, 2018, overturning a binding court ruling ordering it to end its...
The European Parliament yesterday voted by a large majority to endorse the proposal for a European Values Instrument (EVI), this is a welcome development for European civil society and indeed for all who defend rule of law and democracy in Europe. The EU’s Member...
On Tuesday, the Greek Council of State issued a decision annulling the Asylum Service Director Decision which imposed a geographical restriction on asylum seekers arriving on the islands of Lesvos, Rhodes, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos after 20 March 2016. The Council...
Op-ed by Carlos Orjuela and Lorraine Leete of Legal Centre Lesbos. “On the 20 April, we are scheduled to attend trial in Chios after waiting nine months, trapped on Lesvos, while 30 of our brothers unjustly have waited in prison for this same time period. Our...
