Obstacle course in the EU leads to unfair treatment of asylum seekers

9th September 2013 | News

There is still a long way to go in the establishment of a fair and efficient Common European Asylum System despite more than 12 years of harmonising national asylum policies and the adoption of the ‘asylum package’ in June 2013. Research published today by the...

Amnesty International calls on Egypt and Sudan for action to end the brutal treatment of refugees kidnapped for ransom and trafficked to the Sinai

9th August 2013 | News

Refugees and asylum seekers are subjected to extreme violence and brutality at the hands of human traffickers in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, according to a new report by Amnesty International. The refugees, most of whom are Eritreans kidnapped from three refugee camps in...

Forced administration of tranquilisers on Swiss deportation flights criticised by the National Committee against torture

12th July 2013 | News

The Swiss National Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CNPT) has published a report this week detailing its findings as observers of Swiss forced deportation flights. The report raises grave concerns regarding the forced administration of tranquiliser drugs to...

Know Reset project maps diverging resettlement practices and legal frameworks across Europe

12th July 2013 | News

The final conference of the Know-Reset project organised by ECRE and the European University Institute (EUI) took place this week in Brussels. Through a review of the legal framework, and potential capacity for Member States to conduct resettlement of refugees in...

EASO Report on the situation of asylum in the EU in 2012

12th July 2013 | News

On July 8, EASO released its Annual Report on the situation of asylum in the European Union in 2012. In 2012, 335,365 asylum applications were filed in the EU, which constitutes an increase of 11% compared to 2011. According to the report, applicants from Afghanistan...

Amnesty International: migrants and refugees trying to reach the EU pushed back at the Greece-Turkey border

12th July 2013 | News

In a new report, Amnesty International shows that Greek authorities are acting in flagrant violation of international law by pushing back migrants and refugees to Turkey, without any consideration of their protection needs. Amnesty presents evidence that the way in...

ECtHR blocks pushback of Somali migrants from Malta to Libya following outcry from civil society

12th July 2013 | News

On Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) handed the Maltese government a Rule 39 interim order blocking the return of around 45 Somali migrants from Malta to Libya. The decision was prompted by an application brought by the Jesuit Refugee Service and...

Inquest into the death of Jimmy Mubenga on a deportation flight from the UK returns verdict of unlawful killing

12th July 2013 | News

There have been calls for reform of the UK deportation system following the conclusion of an inquest into the death of Jimmy Mubenga, a 46-year-old father of five, who, it was found, was unlawfully killed on a deportation flight from the UK to Angola in October 2010....

A Sanctuary for Snowden? Op-ed by Colin Yeo

12th July 2013 | News

By Colin Yeo, Specialist immigration barrister at Renaissance Chambers and editor of the Free Movement blog. Is Edward Snowden an international fugitive from justice? Or is he a refugee? Can he perhaps be both? His plight highlights several difficult issues in refugee...

Choucha’s Tunisian refugee camp closes: the situation of hundreds of residents remains unresolved

5th July 2013 | News

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) closed the refugee camp in Choucha, south of Tunisia near the Libyan border on 30 June. The camp, now reportedly without running water or electricity, remains home to approximately 300 persons. UNHCR has explained that the population of...