Greek government commits to end indefinite detention of migrants

13th February 2015 | News

13 February 2015 Greece’s new Deputy Minister for Public Order, Giannis Panousis, announced that Greece is going to stop detaining migrants indefinitely. A year ago the Greek government introduced the policy of detaining irregular migrants subjected to return...

Bulgaria is failing to protect against hate crimes, Amnesty International report finds

13th February 2015 | News

13 February 2015 A report by Amnesty International has highlighted a spike in attacks against asylum seekers and migrants as well as other minority groups in Bulgaria. The NGO says that Bulgaria’s failure to adequately investigate and prosecute such hate crimes is...

Over 300 people feared dead at sea – Europe needs to step up search and rescue in the Mediterranean

12th February 2015 | News

12 February 2015 Some 300 people are now confirmed missing and believed to have drowned in the Mediterranean according to reports gathered by UNHCR following the rescue of some 100 people by the Italian Coast Guard on Monday. Survivors said that four dinghies left...

Over 300 migrants feared dead in new tragedy in Mediterranean – ECRE’s reaction

11th February 2015 | News

11 February 2015  “We are appalled by the news of over 300 people feared dead in the Mediterranean.Sadly, our call has to be the same we voiced in 2013 when more than 300 people died off Lampedusa: People fleeing war and persecution are undertaking these...

Death at Europe’s doorstep: one year on and still no justice for the migrants who died off Ceuta

6th February 2015 | News

06 February 2015 One year after at least 14 migrants drown off the coast of Ceuta, in Spain, NGOs have commemorated the victims and criticized the failure of the Spanish authorities to properly investigate the circumstances of the deaths. The Spanish government...

Amnesty International brings voices from the Syria’s refugee crisis into the spotlight

6th February 2015 | News

06 February 2015 On 4 February, Amnesty International published a new report featuring the testimonies of eight refugees from Syria, and their families, currently living in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. Amongst them is Yara, 23 years old, struggling to provide for her...

Norway not to return families at risk in their home area to parts of Afghanistan with no support

6th February 2015 | News

06 February 2015 Norway will not return families with children who would face persecution in their home area to areas of Afghanistan where they do not have sufficient networks or resources. Norway will only refuse the asylum applications of families who are deemed to...

New study shows that alternatives to detention are underused

6th February 2015 | News

06 February 2015 Alternatives to detention are generally underused and applied to few people, according to a comparative study published by the Odysseus Network that examined national legislation and judicial practice in six EU member states: Austria, Belgium,...

Closure of Kokkinotrimithia camp reveals deterrents for refugees to apply for asylum in Cyprus

5th February 2015 | News

05 February 2015 The Cypriot authorities have this week closed the temporary camp Kokkinotrimithia, which had been home to over 300 Syrian and Palestinian migrants after they were rescued off the coast of Cyprus in September last year. The camp’s closure leaves 85...

ECRE is recruiting for an 11-month legal internship

5th February 2015 | News

05 February 2015 ECRE is offering an 11-month legal internship. The purpose of this position is to assist ECRE in undertaking effective advocacy work by supporting the Senior Legal Officer in gathering of information and the formulation of policy and legal research on...