This article critically assesses a range of new non-state actors who have become involved in the deprivation of liberty of migrants and asylum seekers, describes the various forces that appear to be driving their engagement, and makes a series of recommendations concerning the role of non-state actors and detention in global efforts to manage international migration. […]
Detention Blog
Immigration detention in Lithuanian (from report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture 2021 visit to Lithuanian)
Preliminary remarks (Read full CPT report) 88. In 2021, Lithuania faced an unprecedented influx of foreign nationals irregularly entering itsterritory through its land border with Belarus. Between May and mid-August, 4 110 persons wereapprehended by security forces in this context. 89. This influx of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants led to the Lithuanian governmentdeclaring an […]
Maldives: Covid-19 and Detention
The Maldives relies heavily on a migrant labour force, many of whom are undocumented. Estimates vary widely, from 145,000 to over 230,000 migrant workers present in the country. According to an April 2020 UN report on the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on the Maldives, the country has the largest proportion of migrant workers in South […]
Belarus: Covid-19 and Detention
The humanitarian crisis that unfolded–and continues to unfold–on Belarus’s borders with the European Union (EU) in late 2021 sparked widespread scrutiny of that country’s treatment of migrants and asylum seekers (see the 12 November 2021 update on Belarus on this platform). However, the EU has long seen Belarus as an important partner in its efforts […]
Georgia: Covid-19 and Detention
Georgia operates a dedicated immigration detention centre in Tbilisi called the Temporary Accommodation Centre. The facility opened in 2014 following negotiations for a visa-free regime with the European Union. An “Action Plan” developed as part of these negotiations provided that Georgia must have “adequate infrastructure (including detention centres)… to ensure… effective expulsion of illegally staying […]
Foreign nationals held under aliens legislation (from report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture 2021 visit to Austria)
B. Foreign nationals held under aliens legislation; (Read full CPT report)37. The delegation carried out a follow-up visit to the police detention centre(Polizeianhaltezentrum – PAZ) at Vienna-Hernalser Gürtel in order to review the measures takenby the Austrian authorities to implement the recommendations made by the CPT after the previousvisit to the establishment.30 38. Although its […]
Thailand: Covid-19 and Detention
As of 30 November 2021, Thailand had registered more than two million cases of COVID-19 and more than 20,000 related deaths. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported that in September 2021, there were a total of 28,810 cases among migrants from Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Myanmar (CLM) in the country. The number […]
Tunisia: Covid-19 and Detention
In late September, Tunisian human rights organisations shared footage of Tunisian officials apparently transporting a group of migrants to the border with Libya and abandoning them in the desert. The group, who had initially been intercepted at sea, included approximately one hundred men, women and children, including at least three pregnant women. One of the […]
Algeria: Covid-19 and Detention
As increasing numbers of Algerians seek to flee their country and make the hazardous passage across the Mediterranean to Spain, concerns are growing about the plight of migrants and refugees located in Algeria’s land borders, particularly those shared with Morocco and Niger, which have been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and political tensions across […]
Dominican Republic: Covid-19 and Detention
There has been a sharp uptick in anti-migrant policies and practices in the Dominican Republic in recent months, which have been fuelled in part by COVID-related restrictions and growing public backlash aimed at Haitians. Haiti and the Dominican Republic have a long history of political and racial tensions, often related to migration pressures. The Committee […]
