Botswana has both administrative migration-related detention measures, including for the detention of refugees, as well as criminal penalties that can include lengthy imprisonment for migration offenses. These measures violate norms promoted by the Working Group, which says that migration infractions must not be subject to criminal penalties and there should be a prohibition on the detention of refugees, asylum seekers, and children. […]
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Submission to the Committee against Torture
Detained non-citizens in the UAE frequently face arbitrary arrests, poor conditions of detention, an inability to access information about their cases, and deportation without recourse to legal remedies. Their treatment may amount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, prohibited by Article 16 of the UN Convention against Torture. […]
MOROCCO: Joint Submission to the Universal Periodic Review
Morocco has consistently faced criticism for its treatment of migrants and refugees. In particular, collaboration between Europe and Morocco has increased the vulnerability of migrants to a range of human rights abuses, including forced displacements and ad hoc detention. In a joint submission to the Universal Periodic Review, the GDP and GADEM highlight key areas of concern and urge the Government of Morocco to take numerous vital steps to protect the rights of non-citizens. […]
INDIA: Joint Submission to the Universal Periodic Review
The GDP’s submission on India, made in partnership with the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), highlights human rights concerns within India’s immigration detention system, including lack of judicial review and indefinite detention, lack of legal aid for detainees, and poor detention conditions. […]
Joint Submission to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture in Preparation for its Visit to Poland
The submission highlights concerns regarding Poland’s discriminatory detention practices of non-Ukrainian refugees, inhuman and degrading conditions in “Guarded Centres for Foreigners,” abuses of non-citizens on the border with Belarus, and the country’s increasing detention of children for migration purposes. […]
PERU: Submission to the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families
In their joint submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers concerning the upcoming report on Peru, the Global Detention Project and the Grupo de Movilidad Humana de la Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos highlight concerns regarding Peru’s militarisation of border controls, which have become more severe since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and point […]
THE UKRAINE CRISIS Double Standards: Has Europe’s Response to Refugees Changed?
Global Detention Project, 2 March 2022 During the 2015 refugee “crisis,” the EU called for detaining arriving refugees for up to 18 months. Not so today in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The reasons for this difference point to an intractable challenge in Europe’s ability to embrace the international refugee protection regime. […]
Immigration Detention in Australia: Turning Arbitrary Detention into a Global Brand
Australia’s migration detention system is uniquely severe, arbitrary, and punitive. It includes a range of extreme and controversial policies–mandatory, indefinite, offshore, fully privatised detention–which are given blanket legal cover, are vigorously defended in the face of growing global opprobrium, and are spreading to countries near and far. […]
Immigration Detention in Turkey: Trapped at the Crossroad Between Asia and Europe
With one of the world’s largest migration detention systems, Turkey has long served as Europe’s reluctant refugee gatekeeper. This role has repeatedly been put on display, including in the wake of the refugee “crisis” in 2015, which culminated in the adoption of the controversial EU-Turkey refugee deal; and, more recently, after the 2021 Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, which spurred Turkey to extend border walls and engage in often violent pushbacks of Afghan refugees. […]
Joint Submission to the Committee against Torture: Lithuania
This submission highlights Lithuania’s treatment of migrants and asylum seekers in response to recent increases in border crossings from Belarus, which has included stranding vulnerable people–including children–in dire conditions in border regions, using ad hoc detention sites, and expanding detention powers. Testimonies provided by detainees include numerous allegations of torture and mistreatment by security officials. […]
Afghanistan Situation Report
The evacuation of foreign militaries from Afghanistan is spurring a new refugee exodus. This “Situation Report” provides an overview of early responses to the crisis in key countries across the globe as well as a summary of recommendations from human rights monitors. […]
Joint Submission to the Universal Periodic Review: Zimbabwe
This submission has been prepared by the Global Detention Project (GDP) and Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) for the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Zimbabwe in January 2022. […]
Submission to the Committee against Torture: Guatemala
The GDP welcomes the opportunity to provide information relevant to the list of issues prior to the presentation of Guatemala’s report with respect to the implementation of the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Convention against Torture), ratified by Guatemala in 1990. […]
Immigration Detention in South Africa: Stricter Control of Administrative Detention, Increasing Criminal Enforcement of Migration
Long an important destination for migrants and refugees from across Africa and Asia, South Africa has increasingly viewed cross border movements through the lens of national security and criminality. The country’s Border Management Act, adopted in 2020, reflects this embrace of a securitisation agenda, say observers, who worry that the country’s policies will encourage an […]
Immigration Detention in Canada: Progressive Reforms and Missed Opportunities
In recent years, Canada has adopted both progressive refugee policies and restrictive border control measures, including agreeing to accept more refugees than other countries while at the same time adopting policies that restrict asylum eligibility. Canada’s immigration detention system has also continued to attract criticism, particularly because of its persistent use of prisons for immigration purposes, the carceral environments of its dedicated immigration detention centres, and its failure to adopt a maximum time limit for immigration detention, leaving some detainees facing indefinite detention. […]
Submission to the Universal Periodic Review: Sudan
This submission has been prepared by the Global Detention Project for the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review of Sudan in November 2021, and focuses on human rights concerns relating to Sudan’s immigration enforcement policies. […]
Immigration Detention in Mexico: Between the United States and Central America
Mexico has one of the largest immigration detention systems in the world, employing several dozen detention centres—euphemistically called “estaciones migratorias”—and detaining tens of thousands of people every year. […]
Immigration Detention in Colombia: At the Crossroads of the Americas
Located at the juncture between South and Central America, Colombia has become an important transit point for migrants and asylum seekers from across the Americas and elsewhere in the world. It is also a key destination for Venezuelans fleeing the turmoil in their country, hosting more than 1.3 million by 2019. During 2010-2014, a national […]
Immigration Detention in Paraguay: The Non-Detention Norm Versus Mandatory COVID Quarantine
While Paraguay’s laws provide for the detention of non-nationals for migration-related reasons, detention appears to be rarely applied. There is little information, however, about how often people are detained or the conditions of their detention. […]
Moldova Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Moldova Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Moldova, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Moldova Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Moldova: Country Page Moldova: International Law Moldova: COVID-19 Updates […]
Russian Federation Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Russian Federation Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Russian Federation, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Russian Federation Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Russian Federation: Country Page Russian Federation: COVID-19 Updates Russian Federation: Domestic Law […]
Japan Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Japan Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Japan, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Japan Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Japan: Country Page Japan: Detention Centres Report (2013): Immigration Detention in Japan […]
South Africa Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
South Africa Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from South Africa, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the South Africa Detention Data Profile Related Reading: South Africa: Country Page South Africa: COVID-19 Updates Staff Publication: “There and Back Again: On the Diffusion of Immigration Detention” […]
Azerbaijan: Armed Conflict, Pandemic, and Immigration Detention
Azerbaijan lauds the operations at its immigration detention centres, which opened less than a decade ago. But with civil society tightly controlled, there are few independent reports detailing detention conditions. Important monitoring bodies like the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture have also yet to fully investigate this issue. […]
Lesotho Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Lesotho Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Lesotho, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Lesotho Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Lesotho: Country Page Lesotho: COVID-19 Updates Lesotho: International Law […]
Tanzania Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Tanzania Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Tanzania, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Tanzania Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Tanzania: Country Page Tanzania: COVID-19 Updates Tanzania: International Law […]
Submission to the Universal Periodic Review: Singapore
Despite its reliance on foreign labour, Singapore continues to restrict migrant workers’ rights. During the COVID-19 crisis, residents of migrant worker dormitories have suffered disproportionately, with thousands locked up in substandard and unsanitary conditions. […]
Vanuatu Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Vanuatu Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Vanuatu, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Vanuatu Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Vanuatu: Country Page Vanuatu: COVID-19 Updates Vanuatu: International Law […]
Jamaica Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Jamaica Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Jamaica, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Jamaica Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Jamaica: Country Page Jamaica: COVID-19 Updates Jamaica: International Law […]
Viet Nam Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Viet Nam Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Viet Nam, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Viet Nam Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Viet Nam: Country Page Viet Nam: COVID-19 Updates Viet Nam: International Law […]
North Korea Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
North Korea Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from North Korea, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the North Korea Detention Data Profile Related Reading: North Korea: Country Page North Korea: COVID-19 Updates North Korea: International Law […]
Sri Lanka Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Sri Lanka Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Sri Lanka, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Sri Lanka Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Sri Lanka: Country Page Sri Lanka: International Law Sri Lanka: COVID-19 Updates […]
Tuvalu Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Tuvalu Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Tuvalu, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Tuvalu Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Tuvalu: Country Page Tuvalu: COVID-19 Updates Tuvalu: International Law […]
Tonga Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Tonga Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Tonga, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Tonga Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Tonga: Country Page Tonga: COVID-19 Updates Tonga: International Law […]
Palau Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Palau Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Palau, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Palau Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Palau: Country Page Palau: COVID-19 Updates Palau: International Law […]
Samoa Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Samoa Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Samoa, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Samoa Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Samoa: Country Page Samoa: COVID-19 Updates Samoa: International Law […]
Mongolia Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Mongolia Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Mongolia, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Mongolia Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Mongolia: Country Page Mongolia: COVID-19 Updates Mongolia: International Law […]
Bangladesh Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Bangladesh Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Bangladesh, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Bangladesh Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Bangladesh: Country Page Bangladesh: COVID-19 Updates News: Places of Quarantine as Places of Detention […]
Micronesia Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Micronesia Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Micronesia, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Micronesia Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Micronesia: Country Page Micronesia: COVID-19 Updates Micronesia: International Law […]
Iraq Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
The latest detention-related data from Iraq, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. […]
Ethiopia Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Ethiopia Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Ethiopia, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Ethiopia Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Ethiopia: Country Page Ethiopia: COVID-19 Updates Ethiopia: International Law […]
Djibouti Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Djibouti Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Djibouti, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Djibouti Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Djibouti: Country Page Djibouti: COVID-19 Updates Djibouti: Detention Centres […]
Kiribati Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Kiribati Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Kiribati, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Kiribati Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Kiribati: Country Page Kiribati: COVID-19 Updates Kiribati: International Law […]
Submission to the Committee on Migrant Workers: El Salvador
Since opening a dedicated immigration detention facility in 2008, little information has surfaced regarding the conditions that detainees face inside. During the Covid-19 pandemic meanwhile, concerns have been raised regarding the country’s quarantine facilities in which large numbers of returnees have been confined. […]
Eritrea Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Eritrea Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Eritrea, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Eritrea Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Eritrea: Country Page Eritrea: COVID-19 Updates Eritrea: International Law […]
Cameroon Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Cameroon Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Cameroon, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Cameroon Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Cameroon: Country Page Cameroon: COVID-19 Updates Cameroon: International Law […]
Fiji Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Fiji Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Fiji, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Fiji Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Fiji: Country Page Fiji: COVID-19 Updates Fiji: International Law […]
Grenada Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Grenada Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Grenada, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Grenada Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Grenada: Country Page Grenada: International Law Grenada: COVID-19 Updates […]
Brunei Darussalam Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Brunei Darussalam Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Brunei Darussalam, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Brunei Darussalam Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Brunei Darussalam: Country Page Brunei Darussalam: COVID-19 Updates Brunei Darussalam: International Law […]
Marshall Islands Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Greece Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from the Marshall Islands, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Marshall Islands Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Marshall Islands: Country Page Marshall Islands: COVID-19 Updates Marshall Islands: International Law […]
Bhutan Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Bhutan Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Bhutan, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Bhutan Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Bhutan: Country Page Bhutan: COVID-19 Updates Bhutan: International Law […]
Kosovo Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Kosovo Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Kosovo, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Kosovo Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Kosovo: Country Page […]
Immigration Detention in Germany: From Open Arms to Public Backlash
During the height of Europe’s migration “crisis,” Germany was one of the few EU countries to openly embrace assisting refugees, registering more than a million arrivals in less than two years. However, this stance spurred a public backlash, which led to the adoption of a host of restrictive measures, including policies intended to increase removals, limit family reunifications, and expand the range of facilities that can be used to detain migrants. […]
Iceland Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Iceland Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Iceland, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Iceland Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Iceland: Country Page Iceland: International Law Iceland: COVID-19 Updates […]
Bahamas Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Bahamas Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Bahamas, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Bahamas Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Bahamas: Country Profile Bahamas: COVID-19 Updates Staff Publication: There and Back Again: On the Diffusion of Immigration Detention (M. Flynn) […]
Angola Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Angola Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Angola, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Angola Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Angola: Country Page Report (2016): Immigration Detention in Angola Angola: COVID-19 Updates […]
Mauritius Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Mauritius Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Mauritius, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Mauritius Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Mauritius: Country Page Mauritius: COVID-19 Updates Mauritius: International Law […]
Belize Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Belize Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Belize, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Belize Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Belize: Country Page Report: Immigration Detention in Belize (2016) Submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers: Issues Regarding Immigration Detention in Mauritania […]
Andorra Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Andorra Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Andorra, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Andorra Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Andorra: Country Page Andorra: International Law […]
Switzerland Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Switzerland Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Switzerland, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Switzerland Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Switzerland: Country Page “Prison for Profit” Special Report: Harm Reduction in Immigration Detention (2019) […]
Yemen Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Yemen Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Yemen, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Yemen Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Yemen: Country Page Yemen: COVID-19 Updates Yemen: Relevant International Law […]
Senegal Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Senegal Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Senegal, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Senegal Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Senegal: Country Page Senegal: COVID-19 Updates Senegal: International Law […]
Syria Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Syria Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Syria, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Syria Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Immigration Detention in Lebanon: Deprivation of Liberty at the Frontiers of Global Conflict Syria: Country Page Syria: Relevant International Law […]
Sierra Leone Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Sierra Leone Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Sierra Leone, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Sierra Leone Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Sierra Leone: Country Page Sierra Leone: COVID-19 Updates Sierra Leone: International Law […]
Immigration Detention in Jordan: Detained by Employers, Locked Inside Refugee Camps, Pushed Back into Conflict Zones
Jordan has long played an important role in hosting refugees from neighbouring Arab states and has the second-largest share of refugees per capita worldwide. Although the country has at times been praised for its reception practices, arrests, forced deportations—including into the Syrian conflict zone—and poor conditions of detention remain critical concerns. […]
Montenegro Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Montenegro Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Montenegro, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Montenegro Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Montenegro: Country Page Montenegro: COVID-19 Updates Montenegro: International Law […]
Georgia Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Georgia Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Georgia, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Georgia Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Georgia: Country Page Georgia: Tbilisi Temporary Accommodation Centre Georgia: International Law […]
Immigration Detention in Algeria: Pandemic Pushbacks
Reports from international organisations and other observers indicate that Algeria has, during the past decade, employed increasingly punitive methods to limit the entry and stay of refugees, asylum seekers, and undocumented migrants. Sometimes under threat of violence, tens of thousands of people—including women and children—have been forcibly deported in desert areas bordering Mali and Niger. […]
Israel Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Israel Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Israel, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Israel Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Israel: Country Page Israel: Detention Centres Israel: COVID-19 Updates […]
Joint Submission to the Universal Periodic Review: Oman
Despite its reliance on foreign labour, Oman features particularly restrictive immigration and sponsorship policies that make many non-nationals vulnerable to arrest, detention, and deportation. In a joint submission to the UPR, the GDP and Migrant-Rights.org highlight key concerns related to the country’s detention practices as well as the situation faced by foreign domestic workers who are excluded from labour laws. […]
Uganda Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Uganda Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Uganda, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Uganda Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Uganda: Country Page Uganda: COVID-19 Updates Uganda: International Law […]
Estonia Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Estonia Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Estonia, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Estonia Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Estonia: Country Page Estonia: COVID-19 Updates […]
Submission to the UN Committee against Torture: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Conditions within detention and reception facilities in Bosnia and Herzegvonia have long been a matter of concern for rights observers – and the Covid-19 crisis has only exacerbated these. In this submission to the UN Committee against Torture, the GDP highlights areas of concern and urges the committee to address various priorities prior to the presentation of BiH’s report. […]
Mozambique Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Mozambique Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Mozambique, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Mozambique Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Mozambique: Country Page Mozambique: COVID-19 Updates Mozambique: International Law […]
Nicaragua Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Nicaragua Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Nicaragua, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Nicaragua Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Nicaragua: Country Page Report: Immigration Detention in Nicaragua (2015) Submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers: List of Issues Prior to Reporting […]
Kazakhstan Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Kazakhstan Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Kazakhstan, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Kazakhstan Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Kazakhstan: Country Page Kazakhstan: COVID-19 Updates Kazakhstan: International Law […]
Ukraine Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Ukraine Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Ukraine, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Ukraine Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Ukraine: Country Page Ukraine: Detention Centres Report (2012): Immigration Detention in Ukraine […]
Immigration Detention in Hungary: Transit Zone or Twilight Zone?
Hungary’s efforts to block asylum seekers were at the centre of an important May 2020 European Union Court of Justice ruling concerning its “transit zone” detention sites, located along the border with Serbia. For years, Hungary refused to acknowledge that people were “detained” in these facilities, going so far as to refuse the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention entry during its visit to the country in 2018. […]
Panama Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Panama Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Panama, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Panama Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Panama: Country Page Report: Immigration Detention in Panama Panama: COVID-19 Updates […]
Burkina Faso Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Burkina Faso Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Burkina Faso, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Burkina Faso Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Burkina Faso: Country Page Burkina Faso: COVID-19 Updates Burkina Faso: International Law […]
Serbia Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Serbia Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Serbia, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Serbia Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Serbia: Country Page Serbia: Detention Centres Serbia: COVID-19 Updates […]
India Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
India Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from India, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the India Detention Data Profile Related Reading: India: Country Page Private: The Contours of Crimmigration Control in India – Global Detention Project Working Paper No. 25 India: COVID-19 Updates […]
Belarus Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Belarus Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Belarus, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Belarus Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Belarus: Country Page Belarus: Detention Centres Belarus: COVID-19 Update […]
Nigeria Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Nigeria Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Nigeria, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Nigeria Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Nigeria: Country Page Nigeria: COVID-19 Updates Nigeria: International Law […]
Cambodia Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Cambodia Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Cambodia, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Cambodia Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Cambodia: Country Page Cambodia: COVID-19 Updates Cambodia: International Law […]
Philippines Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Philippines Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from the Philippines, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Philippines Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Philippines: Country Page Philippines: COVID-19 Updates Philippines: International Law […]
Albania Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Albania Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Albania, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Albania Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Albania: Country Page Albania: Detention Centres Albania: COVID-19 Updates […]
Immigration Detention in Spain: A Rapid Response to Covid-19
On 6 May 2020, Spain reported that for the first time in its history, its long-term immigration detention facilities, “Foreign Internment Centres,” were empty. These centres had long been the target of activists, local politicians, and human rights bodies, who argued that they were unnecessary and abusive. The Covid-19 crisis, which shut down deportation flights, provided a final push. But enormous questions remain. […]
Iran Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Iran Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Iran, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Iran Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Iran: Country Page Iran: Relevant International Law […]
Kenya Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Kenya Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Kenya, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Kenya Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Kenya: Country Page Kenya: COVID-19 Updates Kenya: International Law […]
China Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
China Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from China, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the China Detention Data Profile Related Reading: China: Country Page China: COVID-19 Updates China: International Law […]
Maldives Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Maldives Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Maldives, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Maldives Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Maldives: Country Page Maldives: International Law Maldives: COVID-19 Updates […]
Immigration Detention in Argentina: A Paradigm Shift?
Argentina, like its South American neighbours, has long de-emphasised detention and deportation in its immigration policies. However, in 2015 its posture changed dramatically after a conservative government took office, which pushed through several restrictive policy reforms and announced the opening of the country’s first specialised immigration detention centre. A new administration that took office in […]
Zambia Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Zambia Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Zambia, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Zambia Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Zambia: Country Page Zambia: COVID-19 Updates Zambia: International Law […]
Malawi Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Malawi Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Malawi, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Malawi Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Malawi: Country Page Malawi: COVID-19 Updates Malawi: International Law […]
Rwanda Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Rwanda Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Rwanda, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Rwanda Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Rwanda: Country Page Rwanda: COVID-19 Updates Rwanda: International Law […]
Taiwan, Province of China Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Taiwan, Province of China Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Taiwan, Province of China, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Taiwan, Province of China Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Taiwan, Province of China: Country Page Private: Submission to the Special Rapporteur on the […]
Pakistan Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Pakistan Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Pakistan, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Pakistan Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Pakistan: Country Page Pakistan: COVID-19 Updates Pakistan: International Law […]
Papua New Guinea Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Papua New Guinea Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Papua New Guinea, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Papua New Guinea Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Papua New Guinea: Country Page Papua New Guinea: COVID-19 Updates Papua New Guinea: International Law […]
Nepal Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Nepal Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Nepal, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Nepal Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Nepal: Country Page Nepal: COVID-19 Updates Nepal: International Law […]
Immigration Detention in Belgium: Covid-19 Puts the Brakes on an Expanding Detention System
Belgium has adopted increasingly hardening immigration and asylum policies, including an expansion of its detention system. But the Covid-19 crisis has spurred the country to temporarily reduce its immigration detention capacity by half, to some 300 beds, while the Immigration Office has temporarily halted the registration of new asylum seekers. In 2017, the government back-peddled on an earlier commitment to stop detaining children when it opened new “family units” inside detention centres. […]
Immigration Detention in Tunisia: Shrouded in Secrecy
Foreigners in Tunisia, particularly those from sub-Saharan Africa, face endemic racism, little or no possibility of seeking asylum because the country has yet to adopt a refugee protection regime, and pushbacks into Libya and Algeria. There is little transparency with respect to detention conditions of migrants and refugees or their treatment in border regions. Although the country had begun implementing measures in March 2020 to safeguard staff and inmates at the country’s prisons in response to the Covid-19 crisis, no such measures appear to have been taken with respect to people detained for immigration reasons. […]
Immigration Detention in the Netherlands: Prioritising Returns in Europe and the Caribbean
The Netherlands places increasing numbers of foreigners—including asylum seekers, families, and children—in detention. The country’s Caribbean territories—specifically, Aruba and Curaçao—have also ramped up their removal efforts in recent years as thousands of Venezuelans have sought refuge on the islands. […]
Immigration Detention in the Republic of Korea: Penalising People in Need of Protection
Over the last two decades, South Korea has implemented increasingly restrictive asylum and migrant worker policies. Although the government does not provide adequate data about immigration detention, making it challenging to assess trends in the country, observers have reported that in recent years this crackdown has grown in scale and intensity. Children, victims of trafficking, and other vulnerable groups can be subjected to indefinite detention, often in facilities where detainees have reported instances of abuse; asylum seekers can find themselves stranded for months in privately operated airport “holding areas”; and national and international human rights bodies have repeatedly called for reforms in the country’s immigration detention centres. […]
Immigration Detention in Austria: Where the Refugee “Crisis” Never Ends
Austria’s domestic politics have long been overshadowed by a divisive and bitter public debate over the treatment of migrants and refugees. This has had an important impact on the country’s detention practices. Despite years of declining detainee numbers prior to the onset of Europe’s short-lived refugee “crisis,” the increase in asylum applications that the country experienced during 2015-2016 became a cause célèbre for resurgent xenophobic political forces, who used the issue to rally support for numerous controversial policies and agendas. These developments have translated into persistent increases in detention numbers long after the “crisis” ended and asylum applications began to plummet to their lowest levels in years. […]
Somalia (Puntland) Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Somalia (Puntland) Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Somalia (Puntland), including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Somalia (Puntland) Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Somalia (Puntland): Country Page Somalia (Puntland): Statistics and Data […]
Somaliland Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Somaliland Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Somaliland, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Somaliland Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Somaliland: Country Page Somaliland: Country Report […]
Kyrgyzstan Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Kyrgyzstan Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Kyrgyzstan, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Kyrgyzstan Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Kyrgyzstan: Country Page Kyrgyzstan: Relevant International Law […]
San Marino Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
San Marino Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from San Marino, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the San Marino Detention Data Profile Related Reading: San Marino: Country Page San Marino: Relevant International Law […]
Monaco Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Monaco Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Monaco, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Monaco Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Monaco: Country Page Monaco: Relevant International Law […]
Uzbekistan Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Uzbekistan Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Uzbekistan, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Uzbekistan Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Uzbekistan: Country Page Uzbekistan: Relevant International Law […]
Liechtenstein Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Liechtenstein Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Liechtenstein, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Liechtenstein Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Liechtenstein: Country Page Liechtenstein: Relevant International Law […]
Turkmenistan Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Turkmenistan Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Turkmenistan, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Turkmenistan Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Turkmenistan: Country Page Turkmenistan: Relevant International Law […]
Timor-Leste Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Timor-Leste Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Timor-Leste, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Timor-Leste Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Timor-Leste: Country Page Timor-Leste: Relevant International Law […]
Tajikistan Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Tajikistan Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Tajikistan, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Tajikistan Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Tajikistan: Country Page Tajikistan: Relevant International Law […]
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Immigration Detention Data (2019)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Country Page Saint Vincent and the […]
Congo (Republic) Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Congo (Republic) Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Congo (Republic), including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Congo (Republic) Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Congo (Republic): Country Page Congo (Republic): International Law […]
Saint Lucia Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Saint Lucia Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Saint Lucia, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Saint Lucia Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Saint Lucia: Country Page Saint Lucia: Relevant International Law […]
Solomon Islands Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Solomon Islands Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from the Solomon Islands, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Solomon Islands Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Solomon Islands: Country Page Solomon Islands: Relevant International Law […]
Saint Kitts and Nevis Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Saint Kitts and Nevis Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Saint Kitts and Nevis, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Saint Kitts and Nevis Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Saint Kitts and Nevis: Country Page Saint Kitts and Nevis: Relevant International Law […]
Haiti Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Haiti Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Haiti, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Haiti Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Haiti: Country Page Haiti: Relevant International Law U.S Immigration Policies: The Double Standard […]
Dominican Republic Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Dominican Republic Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from the Dominican Republic, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Dominican Republic Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Dominican Republic: Country Page Dominican Republic: Relevant International Law […]
Madagascar Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Madagascar Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Madagascar, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Madagascar Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Madagascar: Country Page Madagascar: International Law […]
Liberia Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Liberia Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Liberia, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Liberia Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Liberia: Country Page Liberia: International Law […]
Guinea Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Guinea Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Guinea, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Guinea Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Guinea: Country Page Guinea: International Law […]
Gambia Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Gambia Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Gambia, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Gambia Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Gambia: Country Page Gambia: COVID-19 Updates Gambia: International Law […]
Gabon Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Gabon Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Gabon, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Gabon Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Gabon: Country Page Gabon: International Law […]
Equatorial Guinea Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Equatorial Guinea Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Equatorial Guinea, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Equatorial Guinea Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Equatorial Guinea: Country Page Equatorial Guina: International Law […]
Congo (Democratic Republic) Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Congo (Democratic Republic) Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Congo (Democratic Republic), including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Congo (Democratic Republic) Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Congo (Democratic Republic): Country Page Congo (Democratic Republic): COVID-19 Updates Congo (Democratic Republic): International Law […]
Dominica Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Dominica Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Dominica, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Dominica Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Dominica: Country Page Dominica: Relevant International Law […]
Central African Republic Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Central African Republic Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Central African Republic, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Central African Republic Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Central African Republic: Country Page Central African Republic: International Law […]
Cape Verde Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Cape Verde Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Cape Verde, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Cape Verde Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Cape Verde: Country Page Cape Verde: International Law […]
Barbados Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Barbados Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Barbados, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Barbados Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Barbados: Country Page Barbados: Relevant International Law […]
Zimbabwe Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Zimbabwe Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Zimbabwe, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Zimbabwe Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Zimbabwe: Country Page Zimbabwe: International Law […]
Swaziland Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Swaziland Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Swaziland, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Swaziland Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Swaziland: Country Page Swaziland: International Law […]
Sudan Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Sudan Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Sudan, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Sudan Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Sudan: Country Page Sudan: International Law […]
South Sudan Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
South Sudan Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from South Sudan, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the South Sudan Detention Data Profile Related Reading: South Sudan: Country Page South Sudan: International Law […]
Antigua and Barbuda Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Antigua and Barbuda Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Antigua and Barbuda, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Antigua and Barbuda Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Antigua and Barbuda: Country Page Antigua and Barbuda: International Law […]
Somalia Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Somalia Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Somalia, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Somalia Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Somalia: Country Page Somalia: International Law […]
Seychelles Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Seychelles Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Seychelles, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Seychelles Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Seychelles: Country Page Seychelles: International Law […]
Sao Tome and Principe Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Sao Tome and Principe Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Sao Tome and Principe, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Sao Tome and Principe Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Sao Tome and Principe: Country Page Sao Tome and Principe: International Law […]
Namibia Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Namibia Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Namibia, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Namibia Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Namibia: Country Page Namibia: International Law […]
Mali Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)
Mali Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Mali, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Mali Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Mali: Country Page Mali: International Law […]
Immigration Detention in Romania: With a Little Help from the EU
To pave the way for Romania’s entrance into the Schengen area, the EU has helped finance the county’s efforts to boost border controls and restrict how many people it lets in. Nevertheless, Romania’s treatment of refugees and migrants arguably compares favourably to that of its Visegrad neighbours, like Hungary. Observers point to a number of concerns about conditions in Romania’s immigration detention facilities, including their prison-like regimes, lack of mechanisms to identify vulnerable persons, inadequate medical services, and insufficient provision of legal assistance. […]
Joint Submission to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: Greece
Joint Submission to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in Preparation for its Mission to Greece in December 2019 The Global Detention Project (GDP) and the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) are pleased to provide the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) the following submission in preparation for its visit to Greece in December 2019. […]
Italy: Complicit in Grave Human Rights Abuse?
Immigration Detention in Italy (2019 Report): An important European destination for asylum seekers and migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Africa, Italy has been an aggressive proponent of draconian migration control practices, spurring accusations that the country has been complicit in grave human rights violations. During the tenure of notorious former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, Italy […]
Joint Submission to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture: North Macedonia
The GDP and MYLA are pleased to provide the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) the following submission in preparation for its visit to North Macedonia in 2019. The submission concerns detention of migrants and refugees. […]
Submission to the Universal Periodic Review: Libya
Since the beginning of the 2011 civil war in Libya, the country has experienced on-going armed conflict between rival militias and government forces. The resulting lawlessness has enabled armed groups, criminal gangs, smugglers, and traffickers to control much of the flow of migrants, sometimes with the direct backing of Italy and other European countries. As the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recently concluded, “Despite the overwhelming evidence of human rights violations and abuses, Libyan authorities have thus far appeared largely unable or unwilling to put an end to violations and abuses committed against migrants and refugees.” […]
Joint Submission to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: Qatar
Qatar: Issues Related to Immigration Detention Joint Submission with Migrant-Rights.org to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in Preparation for its Mission to Qatar on 3-14 November 2019 The Global Detention Project (GDP) and Migrant-Rights.org are pleased to provide the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) this joint submission in preparation for the WGAD’s visit […]
Cyprus: Reception Challenges in Europe’s New Gateway
Immigration Detention in Cyprus (2019 Report): Although the Republic of Cyprus is one of only a small number of EU member states that have yet to join the Schengen visa-free zone, the country is quickly becoming an important gateway for migrants and refugees as other routes into the EU have been blocked. With a small […]
Ireland: Can You Detain “Better” Without Detaining More?
Immigration Detention in Ireland (2019 Report): Compared to other EU countries, Ireland does not detain large numbers of migrants and asylum seekers—typically less than a dozen people at any given moment. However, the country’s use of prisons and police stations for immigration purposes has spurred widespread criticism for years. Human rights watchdogs, including from the […]
Immigration Detention in Portugal: Resettling Refugees, Detaining Asylum Seekers
Immigration Detention in Portugal (2019 Report): Unlike most EU states, Portugal has welcomed the arrival of refugees—even after the onset of the “refugee crisis” in 2015—and has announced several ambitious resettlement schemes. On the other hand, Portugal’s detention policies have been the subject of repeated criticism. Asylum seekers lodging applications at ports of entry are systematically […]
Immigration Detention in Malta: “Betraying” European Values?
Immigration Detention in Malta (2019 Report): Malta’s heavy-handed response to irregular maritime arrivals—including refusing to allow rescue ships to dock and assisting Libyan authorities in intercepting asylum boats—has placed the country at the centre of a bitter EU-wide debate concerning search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean. This restrictive approach is also reflected in its detention […]
Immigration Detention in Latvia: Giving “Accommodation” a Whole New Meaning
Immigration Detention in Latvia (2019 Report): Although Latvia does not experience significant migratory pressures, the number of immigration detainees and the average length of detention have steadily increased. In 2017, the country opened a second detention facility, misleadingly called an “accommodation centre.” The law provides for the detention of non-citizens for up to 10 days without […]
Immigration Detention in Lithuania: Detention and Denial Amidst Extreme Population Decline
Immigration Detention in Lithuania (2019 Report): Asylum applications in Lithuania have decreased significantly in the last few years even as entry refusal rates at the country’s borders have skyrocketed, increasing by some 80 percent since 2013. The country’s restrictive asylum legislation, which provides for the detention of asylum seekers, has received criticism from several UN human […]
Immigration Detention in Bulgaria: Fewer Migrants and Refugees, More Fences
Immigration Detention in Bulgaria (2019 Report): Although the number of irregular non-citizens apprehended in Bulgaria has plummeted in recent years, detention remains a key tool in the country’s response to migration and asylum flows. It has also spent some 85 million EUR to construct a fence along its border with Turkey. Bulgaria’s detention centres reportedly lack […]
Immigration Detention in Croatia: Shrinking Space for Independent Monitoring
Immigration Detention in Croatia (2019 Report): Traditionally a transit country for people attempting to reach Western Europe, Croatia took on new importance for refugees and migrants in late 2015 when the main migrant route shifted through the country. Since then, the government has grown increasingly security-focused, albeit while maintaining a humanitarian narrative. Non-citizens may be […]
Immigration Detention in Niger: Expanding the EU-Financed Zone of Suffering Through “Penal Humanitarianism”?
Immigration Detention in Niger (2019 Report): Niger has been a principal migration hub for people criss-crossing the Sahel region of Africa for generations. It has also served as an important transit country for migrants and asylum seekers on the Central Mediterranean route through Libya to Europe. More recently, the country has begun receiving third-country nationals who […]
Immigration Detention in Slovenia: Where They Call Detention a “Limitation of Movement”
Immigration Detention in Slovenia (2019 Report): A key transit country for refugees and migrants travelling the “Balkan Route,” Slovenia witnessed a significant increase in the number of border crossings during the “refugee crisis.” Citing fears of a “humanitarian catastrophe,” the country tightened immigration controls, erected wire fencing along its border with Croatia, and introduced stringent new […]
Immigration Detention in Slovakia: Punitive Conditions Paid for by the Detainees
Immigration Detention in Slovakia (2019 Report): Since the onset of the “refugee crisis,” Slovakia has pursued restrictive immigration policies and employed anti-migrant rhetoric, despite the fact that the country has not faced the same migratory pressures as its European neighbours. Rarely granting alternatives to detention due to strict eligibility criteria, non-citizens are held in facilities that […]
Immigration Detention in the Czech Republic: “We Will Not Accept Even One More Refugee”
The Czech Republic (Czechia) became an important transit country for asylum seekers attempting to reach Europe during the height of the “refugee crisis.” Like in its Visegrad neighbours, this new-found status spurred a sharp public backlash in the country, which was fed by anti-migrant political rhetoric. The government significantly ramped up the country’s detention capacity […]
Immigration Detention in France: Longer, More Widespread, and Harder to Contest
France has one of Europe’s oldest and more widespread administrative immigration detention regimes, which extends from continental Europe to overseas territories in the Indian Ocean and the Americas. Nearly 47,000 people were placed in detention during 2017, about half of whom were detained in facilities located in the outré-mer. The country has budgeted more than […]
Immigration Detention in Poland: Systematic Family Detention and Lack of Individualised Assessment
Poland has experienced a sharp drop in the numbers of people applying for asylum since 2017. Yet, anti-immigrant rhetoric dominates public discourse, foreigners are viewed as security threats, and pushbacks are common along the border with Belarus. While material conditions in detention centres appear to meet basic standards, Poland rarely considers “alternatives to detention,” systematically […]
Immigration Detention in Egypt: Military Tribunals, Human Rights Abuses, Abysmal Conditions, and EU Partner
Egypt has long been a destination and transit country for refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants from across the Middle East and Africa. Its Mediterranean coast has served as an important staging point for people attempting to reach Europe irregularly. Observers have repeatedly expressed concerns about Egypt’s use of police stations and prisons for immigration detention […]
Immigration Detention in Finland: Limited Use of “Alternatives,” Restrictive Detention Review, Divisive Political Debate
Finland does not place as many migrants and asylum seekers in detention as do neighbouring Sweden and other nearby European countries. However, the country’s authorities rarely grant “alternatives to detention,” instead deeming detention to be the most efficient and cost-effective method for removing non-citizens from the country. […]
Immigration Detention in Sweden: Increasing Restrictions and Deportations, Growing Civil Society Resistance
Sweden used to be lauded for its comparatively humane treatment of asylum seekers and undocumented migrants. However, since the onset of the “refugee crisis,” the country has introduced a series of restrictive immigration control measures and the domestic political environment has become increasingly hostile. Even as the numbers of refugee applicants have steadily fallen, the […]
Immigration Detention in Denmark: Where Officials Celebrate the Deprivation of Liberty of “Rejected Asylum Seekers”
Denmark has pursued increasingly restrictive immigration and asylum policies. During the past three years, the country has adopted some 70 immigration-related amendments aimed at intensifying restrictions, dramatically cut back its asylum recognition rate, and called for detaining as many failed refugees as possible. Observers have repeatedly criticised the penitentiary-like conditions of Denmark’s main immigration detention […]
Immigration Detention in Luxembourg: Systematic Deprivation of Liberty
Immigration Detention in Luxembourg: Although Luxembourg has a very small immigration detention system, the number of detainees has risen in recent years. Since opening a dedicated detention facility in 2011, observers have noted a general improvement in material conditions. On the other hand, detention appears to be systematically applied as officials regularly conclude that apprehended migrants […]
Joint Submission to the Universal Periodic Review: Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia Joint Submission to the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council 31st session, November 2018 The Global Detention Project (GDP) is a non-profit research centre based in Geneva, Switzerland, that investigates the use of detention in response to global migration. The GDP’s aims include: (1) providing researchers, advocates, and journalists with a […]
Submission to the Universal Periodic Review: Malaysia
Malaysia Submission to the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council 31st session, November 2018 The Global Detention Project (GDP) is an independent research centre based in Geneva that investigates the use of detention as a response to international migration. Its objectives are to improve transparency in the treatment of detainees, to encourage […]
Immigration Detention in Norway: Fewer Asylum Seekers but More Deportees
Immigration Detention in Norway: While asylum applications are decreasing in Norway, the number of deportations is rising. Since 2012, when amendments to the Immigration Act were introduced extending the list of grounds for detention, detention has increasingly been used in order to make return policies more efficient. Between 2012 and 2016, the number of people placed […]
Immigration Detention in Lebanon: Deprivation of Liberty at the Frontiers of Global Conflict
Immigration detention in Lebanon: Although Lebanon does not consider itself a country of asylum, it has the world’s highest per-capita concentration of refugees, most of whom have fled conflict in neighbouring Syria. Refugees are increasingly treated as a security threat and economic burden, and they have found themselves under growing surveillance and restrictions. The country is […]
Joint Submission to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD): United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates Global Detention Project – Migrant-rights.org Joint Submission to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) 93 Session (31 Jul 2017 – 25 Aug 2017) Geneva, July 2017 The Global Detention Project (GDP) is an independent research centre based in Geneva, Switzerland, that investigates the use of detention as […]
Submission to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR): Australia
Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) 61st Session (29 May – 23 June 2017) Geneva, May 2017 Issues related to immigration detention The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information relevant to the Consideration of the fifth periodic report of Australia (due […]
Submission to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR): Guatemala
Guatemala Global Detention Project Submission to the Universal Periodic Review 28th session of the UPR Working Group, October-November 2017 Submitting organisation The Global Detention Project (GDP) is an independent research centre based in Geneva, which investigates the use of detention as a response to international migration. Its objectives are to improve transparency in the treatment […]
Immigration detention in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago, one of the wealthiest countries in the Caribbean, has worked to limit unauthorized migration to help boost its tourism appeal. It opened a dedicated immigration detention centre in 2009. The country’s immigration laws also provide criminal penalties for various violations, including six-month prison sentences for re-entry after expulsion. […]
Immigration Detention in the United Kingdom
The UK’s immigration detention system, one of the largest and most heavily scrutinized in Europe, has been the target of numerous lawsuits, investigations, and public demonstrations. While a recent Home Office-commissioned report called for reducing “boldly and without delay” the detention of certain groups of non-citizens, the new Immigration Act 2016 fails to include many […]
Submission to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR): Indonesia
INDONESIA Global Detention Project Submission to the Universal Periodic Review 27th session of the UPR Working Group, April-May 2017 Submitted on 22 September 2016 Submitting organisation The Global Detention Project (GDP) was founded in 2005 at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. In 2014, it was launched as an independent non-profit […]
Submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW): Honduras
Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) 25th Session (29 August – 7 September 2016) Honduras Geneva, August 2016 Issues concerning immigration detention The Global Detention Project (GDP) welcomes the opportunity to provide information relevant to the consideration of the initial report of Honduras (CMW/C/HHND/1 19 May 2016) […]
Immigration Detention in New Zealand
New Zealand has adopted stringent laws providing for immigration detention, including the detention of asylum seekers and children in cases of “mass” boat arrivals. The country has also lauded Australia’s offshore detention practices, saying they could help deter asylum seekers. But New Zealand has never experienced the type of migratory pressures that these policies are […]
Immigration Detention in Angola
Angola has vigorously pursued a policy of expelling undocumented migrants for “national security” reasons, claiming that there are more than half a million people in the country illegally who are part of a “silent invasion.” The country has opened several dedicated immigration facilities, where thousands of non-nationals are detained every year to await removal, often […]
Immigration Detention in the United States
The United States operates the world’s largest immigration detention system. On any given day, the country has some 30,000 people in administrative immigration detention at an estimated cost of nearly $150 a day. In 2016, the combined budget of enforcement agencies was $19 billion. The country’s sprawling detention estate counts on some 200 facilities, including […]
Immigration Detention in Nauru
Nauru operates a controversial offshore processing centre for Australia that accommodates asylum seeking men, women, and children. The facility, which is part of Australia’s “Pacific Solution,” has been the focus of global condemnation because of the mistreatment of detainees, high profile cases concerning the detention of children, and Australia’s long track record of employing policies […]
Immigration Detention in Thailand
Thailand hosts more than four million migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. Officials have broad discretionary powers to place non-citizens in detention and there is no detention time limit. Severe overcrowding is endemic at detention facilities and conditions are reportedly abysmal, including for the thousands of foreign children who are detained annually. […]
Immigration Detention in Kuwait
Kuwait is an important destination for migrant workers from across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Despite its reliance on foreign labourers, the country has in recent years carried out a series of enforcement actions targeting non-citizens for arrest and deportation, in particular people without valid residence papers or work visas. Successive crackdowns have led […]
Immigration Detention in Belize
Belize’s immigration detention practices contrast with the policies of neighbouring countries in key ways. In particular, the country provides criminal sanctions for immigration-related infractions and appears to be the only nation in Central America that does not have a dedicated administrative immigration detention facility. […]
Immigration Detention in Nicaragua
One of the poorest countries in the Americas, Nicaragua nevertheless has specific immigration detention laws and policies and maintains a dedicated immigration detention in Managua, which it terms an albergue (or shelter). Asylum seekers can be subject to detention while other vulnerable groups, including children and victims of trafficking, tend to be housed in shelters. […]
Immigration Detention in Panama
An important destination country in Central America, Panama has in recent years overhauled its migration policies in part as a response to a landmark case at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights involving the detention of migrants. Since the case was launched, Panama has adopted a new migration law, decriminalized immigration violations, and established new […]
Immigration Detention in Ecuador
Ecuador has been widely lauded for adopting the principle of “universal citizenship” in its 2008 Constitution. However, in recent years, the country seems to have backtracked with respect to its reception of migrants and asylum seekers. Although it is one of the most important countries of refuge in Latin America, hosting tens of thousands of […]
Cambodia & Southeast Asia: Cyber Scam Trafficking Victims Facing Detention and Prosecution
In a recent report to the ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights, a group of NGOs highlight a growing pattern of human rights violations across Southeast Asia involving trafficking rackets that are fueled by scam online employment schemes. The report echoes recent information that the Global Detention Project has received from sources in Cambodia about […]
Chile: Human Rights Monitoring Bodies Denounce Proposed Legal Reforms Increasing Detention Measures for Undocumented Migrants and Asylum Seekers
In a communication to Chile, a group of UN experts have condemned proposed reforms to the country’s migration and asylum legislation. If approved, the reforms would provide criminal penalties for irregular entry and stay, including prison sentences and fines, and increase administrative detention measures for people awaiting deportation. The effort also reflects policy proposals in […]
2022 Annual Report: Building Partnerships, Harnessing Data, Ending Arbitrary Immigration Detention
Policy-makers, scholars, and advocates often obsess over detention numbers: How many people were detained last year? How many more people are being detained now? How many are detained in a given detention centre? But there is another statistic that receives much less attention: how many people die in immigration detention? […]
Russia: Immigration Detainees Amongst Foreign Migrants Targeted for Military Recruitment
In an effort to reach recruitment targets for its war in Ukraine, Russia has been attempting to coerce or force foreign migrants to fight. Authorities and private military companies have attempted to enlist foreigners in migration offices, workplaces, prisons, worker dormitories, and mosques. According to several reports, immigration detainees have also been targeted for enlistment. […]
Lebanon Steps Up Forceful Removals of Syrian Refugees
Amidst festering economic crisis and political stalemate, Lebanese authorities have stepped up their efforts to remove Syrian refugees from the country. In recent weeks, hundreds have been arrested, detained, and summarily deported by Lebanon’s army intelligence unit. Since early April, the Lebanese army has conducted multiple raids across the country, arresting hundreds of Syrians who […]
A Missed Opportunity in Japan
On 7 March, Japan’s cabinet passed a bill amending the country’s immigration and asylum legislation. The bill, which has been slated by rights groups, reinforces the country’s ability to indefinitely detain migrants and asylum seekers. It is now due to be voted on by the country’s parliament. With regards to detention, the amendment bill to […]
GDP Hosts Fourth Interactive Webinar: Protecting Victims of Trafficking from Immigration Detention
On Tuesday 25 April, the GDP held its fourth interactive webinar. We heard from four global experts on human trafficking about how the principle of non-punishment can be used to protect victims of trafficking who are detained for migration-related reasons. […]
Documenting Detention: Part 1 – Photographing the US Detention System. A Conversation with Greg Constantine
As part of the GDP’s “Documenting Detention” series, we speak to the acclaimed independent documentary photographer, Greg Constantine, about his work photographing the United States’ vast detention estate. […]
Türkiye: Joint Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
In a submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the GDP and the International Refugee Rights Association assess Türkiye’s laws and practices concerning detention of children for immigration-related reasons. […]
Switzerland: Detainee’s Death Reignites Calls to End Immigration Detention
In the morning of Saturday 8 April, a male immigration detainee was found unconscious in his cell in Geneva’s Favra detention facility. His death has prompted renewed calls for authorities to close the controversial centre. According to a press release from the Department of Security, Population and Health (DSPS), the man (reportedly a Tunisian awaiting […]
