Source: Balkan Refugee Network

Date: 14.04.2022.

The Grand Chamber Panel of the European Court of Human Rights rejected the referral request of the Republic of Croatia in the case of little Madina’s family. Thus, the judgement that the Republic of Croatia violated Madina’s right to life became final, concluding that:

1. Madina Hussinyand her family were recognized by the European Court of Human Rights as victims of illegal expulsion by the Republic of Croatia to Serbia, which resulted in the loss of life of a six-year-old girl on November 21, 2017.
2. Republic of Croatia treated children inhumanely by keeping them in detention, illegally deprived the whole family of their liberty, collectively expelled part of the family from Croatia to Serbia and, after all, denied them access to  lawyer precisely with the aim of preventing this case from reaching the European Court of Human Rights.

After this strong and final confirmation of the ruling, the Government of the Republic of Croatia can no longer ignore committed failures, but must urgently dismiss those responsible, urgently finding and sanctioning the direct perpetrators, and introducing immediate command and political responsibility for those in the chain of decision-making in the case of late Madina Hussney and her family.

The institutions of the Republic of Croatia should take concrete steps to ensure that something like this never happens again to any other exiled child and its family along its borders.

By rejecting the appeal, the Grand Chamber upheld the previous ruling of the ECtHR, and justice for Madina is finally achieved! 

It is up to the Republic of Croatia to correct part of the injustice inflicted by addressing those responsible and stopping illegal and violent practice of expulsions of refugees to other Balkan countries!

You are twenty years old, you are Afghan, you are running away from the Taliban, you want to reach your cousin in Germany.

250 km separate you from Italy and your asylum request: the last part of the Balkan route called – the game -.

How will you get to your goal? How will the journey change you?

A visual novel based on real events, with achievements to collect and eight possible endings conditioned by your choices.

Developed with ICS (Italian Consortium of Solidarity).

Bug Report:  https://forms.gle/nVWDdQ1pCksEyckW9

Source: dialobot.itch.io 

Director of the Center for Protection and Assistance to Asylum Seekers Rados Djurovic said today that the visit of European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Ilve Johansson was aimed at signing the Agreement on Union Support to Serbia in Migration Management, but that despite the help that arrives the legal status of refugees and the functioning of the asylum system.

“There are few visible and clear results when it comes to raising the capacity to accept migrants and refugees in the country, except when it comes to humanitarian reception, it works, but the functioning of the asylum system is deeply questionable,” he told Beta.

Djurovic pointed out that the commissioner came to “accompany” the first activities of Frontex on the border between Serbia and Bulgaria on Serbian territory.

He reminded that the Agreement between Serbia and Frontex entered into force on May 1 and that it enables neighboring countries to work with their police in Serbia as well, ie to stop illegal migration.

“What is questionable in that agreement is the immunity of Frontex employees who have both criminal and material-legal and administrative immunity while performing those tasks on Serbian territory,” he noted.

He also said that the visit of Commissioner Johansson shows the EU side to provide Serbia with the capacity to fight migration, but, as he says, some members make “pushbacks”, ie “push people” into Serbia.

“We are witnessing the policies of individual members Romania, Croatia and Hungary, which continue to push people into Serbia, beyond the readmission agreement, so they are doing it in an illegal and unacceptable way, and we see it every day at the borders and nothing has changed.” he pointed out.

In that way, according to Djurovi?, migrations are being slowed down in an illegal way, that is, “an attempt is being made to stop them”.

Djurovic assessed that during the visit of the commissioner, there was no criticism of such behavior in public or any review of the “pushback” situation.

Photo: Media Center

ICS, in taking note of the political statements, some of them rather discomposed, issued after the Italian-Slovenian summit, regarding the announced intention to resume the so-called readmissions of “irregular”…

ITALIAN-SLOVENIAN AGREEMENT: CONCERN ON POSSIBLE NEW SERIOUS INSTANCES OF ABUSE

ICS, in taking note of the political statements, some of them rather discomposed, issued after the Italian-Slovenian summit, regarding the announced intention to resume the so-called readmissions of “irregular” foreigners at the Italian-Slovenian border, would like to point out the following:

(1) the Italo-Slovenian agreement of 1996 does not constitute a source of law but is merely an agreement which was never ratified by Parliament within the terms of Article 80 of the Constitution and as such its legitimacy is highly dubious;

2) In any case, the agreement, even as a mere operational modality, remains subject to compliance with international law, EU law and domestic law;

3) As unanimously pointed out by jurists and scholars and, finally, by the Court of Rome in its order of 18 January 2021 (whose conclusions in law were in no way contradicted by the panel of the same court, which upheld the Ministry's complaint only with regard to the lack of proof of the applicant's presence), informal readmissions of asylum seekers to Slovenia are unlawful, because they are in conflict with European legislation on the right to asylum and, in particular, with the Dublin III Regulation. The latter requires the Italian police to register the foreigner's intention to apply for asylum, at the border or in the territory, without exception, and subsequently to place the asylum seeker in the reception system and to activate the procedures provided for by that same regulation.

4) In any case, no readmission can ever be carried out in an “informal” way, as this would be equivalent to “illegal”, since no measure affecting personal freedom and the exercise of fundamental rights of the person can be taken by the public administration in an “informal” way, but always and only within the framework of a decision notified to the person concerned and marked by all the guarantees provided by the legal system.

ICS – together with the human rights organisations of Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and international organisations – will increase the level of vigilance regarding the observance of the rule of law, which cannot be violated due to any political will. The entire chain of command, which might have carried out unlawful orders sent in a direct or indirect manner, will be held accountable for any violations.

How non-EU member states are incorporated into fortress Europe.

Radoš ?urovi?, director of the NGO Asylum Protection Centre (APC) which works with migrants in Serbia, questions whether Frontex’s presence in the region will bring better control over violations and fears that if past acts of alleged violence are used it could make matters worse. “The EU’s aim is to increase border control and reduce the number of people who legally or illegally cross,” ?urovi? says in a phone interview for K2.0. “We know that violence does not stop the crossings. It only increases the violence people experience.” Similarly, Jasmin Redžepi from the Skopje-based NGO Legis, argues that the current EU focus on policing its borders only entraps people in the region. “This causes more problems, suffering and death,” he says. “People are forced to turn to criminals in search of help. The current police actions are empowering criminals and organized crime.” Redžepi believes the region is currently acting as some kind of human filter for the EU. “From the security standpoint this is solidarity with local authorities. But in the field, it prevents greater numbers of refugees from moving toward central Europe,” Redžepi says. “They get temporarily stuck. The EU calls it regulation but they only postpone their arrival in the EU and increase the violations of human rights, European law and international law. In the end people cross, just more simply die along the way.”

A recent statement on the state of the EU’s borders by UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Gillian Triggs, notes: “The pushbacks [at Europe’s borders] are carried out in a violent and apparently systematic way.” Radoš ?urovi? from APC Serbia pointed out that Frontex must know about the alleged violations. “The question is: Do they want to investigate and prevent them?” he says. “All those present in the field know about the violence and who perpetrates it.”

Human rights advocates in the region such as Jasmin Redžepi have no illusions that what they face on the ground reflects the needs and aims of the EU. “We are only a bridge,” Redžepi says. “The least the EU should do is take care that its policies do not turn the region into a cradle for criminals and organized crime. We need legal, regular passages and procedures for people to apply for asylum, not illegal, violent push-backs. “If we talk about security we cannot talk exclusively about the security of borders. We have to talk about the security of people as well.”

Source: read the all text HERE

??????: THIS INHUMAN CHESS GAME MUST STOP!

“RiVolti ai Balcani” requests the immediate and urgent intervention of European, international and local institutions in the Biha? area, and a long-term solution ensuring the protection of the fundamental human rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.

“As a citizen of Bosnia Herzegovina I feel the right to insist and obtain from all political representatives at all levels the immediate assistance to and acceptable accommodation for all migrating people. And I also ask the international community that still has a protectorate in Bosnia Herzegovina to take responsibility for this situation. The crime against humanity that is taking place must stop immediately. People continue to freeze on the roads and in the mountains and the question is when will they start to die. Many citizens are helping individually as best they can, but in order to stop this catastrophe, a specific solution respecting the dignity and human rights of these people is necessary. Those who operate in public, local and international institutions, are responsible for this catastrophe. I do not want and do not accept that Bosnia Herzegovina could once again become a valley of mass graves, synonym of crimes, death and injustice”.

“RiVolti ai Balcani” collects and shares the appeals coming from individual citizens, activists and Bosnian volunteers, as well as from the regional network ‘Transbalkanska Solidarnost’, aimed at stopping the humanitarian catastrophe that is taking place especially in the Una Sana Canton where 3000 migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, are having to camp outdoors. Of these, 1500 in the temporary camp of Lipa, 30 km from Biha?, for whom neither local nor international authorities have wanted to find a solution.

For months now a growing number of international organisations, associations and volunteers have been denouncing the unsustainable living conditions of these people arriving from the Balkan migration route. First and foremost, the Lipa makeshift camp, not kitted out for the winter months, where water was delivered from a cistern and little energy was produced by generators. Like other transit camps in Bosnia managed by the Organization for Migration (IOM) BiH, but the construction or adjustment of which is headed by the Bosnian authorities.

Despite appeals by the Commissioner for human rights of the Council of Europe and UNHCR and the subsequent – useless – attempt by the Bosnian Council of Ministries to convince the Cantonal authorities to create suitable structures for the reception of migrants, IOM decided to close the camp and on 23rd December – the day foreseen for IOM’s exit – the camp was nearly totally destroyed by a fire.

It is snowing and the temperature has fallen below 0°C. Hundreds of people are blocked here, with one single meal a day distributed by the local Red Cross, other hundreds are scattered in the woods without assistance.

“RiVolti ai Balcani” adds its name to other public appeals announced in recent days. The one of 26th December, signed by UNHCR and IOM, together with DRC – Danish Refugee Council and Save the Children that work in BiH, in which local authorities are asked to provide immediate alternative accommodation solutions and the four organisations reiterate their availability to support the efforts of the local authorities and to organize necessary assistance. But also the appeal of the volunteers and activists of ‘No Name Kitchen’, ‘SOS Balkanroute’, Medical Volunteers International and ‘Blindspots’ addressed to the EU and its Member States.

The network “RiVolti ai Balcani” – composed of over 36 entities and individuals involved in the protection of human rights and the fundamental principles of the Italian Constitution and European and international norms – request that the European Union, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the EU delegation to the High Representative in Bosnia Herzegovina, the International Organization for Migration, the Council of Ministries of Bosnia Herzegovina, the authorities of the Una Sana Canton and the Biha? Municipality, the authorities of the country’s two Entities – the Federation and Republika Srpska:

 find an immediate solution to the current humanitarian emergency in the Biha? area and Bosnia Herzegovina in general;

  define long-term solutions equipping Bosnia Herzegovina with and effective refugee reception and protection system;

 enact a humanitarian evacuation programme aimed at placing the migrants in all the countries of the European Union.

 Sign the petition ‘This inhuman chess game must stop!’ at ??????.???: http://chng.it/jNmwZ78pV2

A HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE IS TAKING PLACE IN BOSNIA: ITALY MUST STOP ILLEGAL PUSH-BACKS.

ICS agrees with the deep concern expressed in the letter by Djunia Mijatovic, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, with which she urges Bosnian authorities to take responsibility for the grave humanitarian crisis underway in the Una-Sana Canton, where hundreds of migrants and refugees are forced to sleep in the open.

As stated in the letter, “It appears that of October 2020, there are more than 6770 asylum seekers and migrants accommodated in camps located in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The estimated number of those sleeping in the open or in abandoned buildings in the Una Sana Canton and elsewhere in the country ranges from 2000 to 3500.”

For months now, various international organizations, associations and volunteers – amongst which the RiVolti ai Balcani network, that includes ICS- have been denouncing the terrible situation in which migrants that have travelled through the Balkan Route are living in. Nonetheless, nothing has been done to solve the situation, not even now that winter has come.

Chain push-backs, which have the aim of illegally deporting refugees from the border between Italy and Slovenia back to Bosnia, expose people to inhumane conditions and put their very own lives at risk: for this reason, they must be stopped immediately.

For further information clicl HERE

Solidarnost na papiru, figa u džepu.

Zajedni?ko saopštenje o ilegalnim proterivanjima duž EU-Balkanske migrantske rute

Coalition for Rights and Wellbeing of Forced Migrants along Euro-Balkan’s Migration Routes

PROMOTING MEMBERS

The Coalition is promoted by APC (Serbia), CMS (Croatia), ICS (Italy) and Legis (North Macedonia), four Civil Societies Organizations committed in enhancing rights and wellbeing of exiles seeking protection in respective countries/regions and beyond, from ethnic, religious, racial, political, language, gender and other based forms of persecution, or seeking protection from discrimination, political turmoil, armed conflicts, general violence, and from all other various downturns, including environmental or manmade disasters.

VISION

The Coalition’s overall scope is to contribute in building inclusive, tolerant and democratic local societies where locals and temporary/permanently residing migrants/exiles enjoy their rights, respect their obligations, find their peace and protection and contribute to the general wellbeing of  receiving local communities.