Since late June, Iran has expelled more than half a million Afghan refugees–coinciding with the country’s brief war with Israel. “We urge the Special Rapporteur not to overlook the plight of the millions of undocumented Afghan refugees in the country, whose plight often gets overlooked amidst the surge of conflicts, tragedies, and humanitarian crises afflicting the greater Middle East today.” […]
Algeria: Detention and Deportation in an “Informal Corridor of Expulsion”
In recent years, Algeria has ramped up its detention and deportation operations in response to mounting pressure from Europe. Working increasingly with both neighbouring and European countries, Algerian authorities have conducted targeted raids, used an extensive network of formal and informal detention sites, and carried out (often violent) crossborder pushbacks to Niger and elsewhere. […]
From Pledges to Practice: Scaling Up Responses on Alternatives to Detention, Protection at Sea and Trafficking
On 7 July, the GDP’s Refugee Advocacy Coordinator spoke at a UNHCR-led event on the harmful impacts of immigration detention, as well as the emergence and on-going challenge of ‘alternatives to detention’ (ATDs) and how we might reframe ATDs from a harm-reduction point of view. […]
India Renews Efforts to Remove “Illegal Foreigners” in the Wake of Pahalgam Terrorist Attack
Since the Pahalgam terrorist attacks in Kashmir in April, anti-Islamic public and official attitudes across India have led to important ethnic groups in the country–including Rohingya and Bengali-speaking Muslims–being targeted for racial violence and increasing detention and deportation operations. […]
Djibouti: Use of US Military Base for Immigration Detention Purposes Raises Concerns
In May, eight men were flown from the United States to a U.S military facility in Djibouti, where they have since been detained in a converted shipping container. Here, detainees face extreme heat, lack of necessary medications, combat-esque movement restrictions, and poor quality air. The use of a military base for immigration detention related purposes, meanwhile, appears to be part of a wider U.S trend, raising serious concerns for detainees’ fundamental rights. […]
“These Small Victories are the Lifeblood of Change”: 2024 Annual Report
Viewing the migration and refugee landscape today, it is all too easy to despair. Which is why it is so important for us to take stock of the real impacts that we have made. As this Annual Report shows, the GDP continues to make an important difference across many countries and in numerous arenas, even if it may seem at times a quixotic or improbable struggle. But these small victories are the lifeblood of change. […]
Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants: The Externalisation of Migration Controls
Ahead of the UN Special Rapporteur on Migrants’ production of a new thematic report examining the externalisation of migration, asylum, and border policies–a critically important and timely topic that is impacting the ability of migrants across the world to enjoy their fundamental rights–the GDP has provided input highlighting the venues for challenging externalised migration controls. […]
Vietnam: Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee
Despite Vietnam’s growing importance in international migration and the increasing numbers of reports about harmful detention practices, to date the country’s immigration enforcement regime has not been adequately scrutinised by international human rights monitoring bodies. In this submission, the GDP and APRRN urge the CCPR to take steps to ensure that Vietnam is aware of its binding legal responsibilities concerning migrants in the country, especially with respect to ICCPR Articles 2, 9, 10, 13, and 14. […]
Mauritania: Mass Arrests and Deportations as EU Continues Efforts to Create “Bulwark” Against Irregular Migration
Under renewed pressure from the EU to prevent migrants from reaching the Canary Islands, in recent months Mauritanian authorities have arbitrarily arrested, detained, and expelled thousands of migrants. The West African state has come under repeated scrutiny in recent years for its detention and deportation practices, but the scale of the recent crackdown has attracted […]
Kazakhstan: Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee
In recent years, the treatment of migrant workers in Kazakhstan–which has included widespread raids, detentions, and deportations; the targeting of foreigners in response to social unrest; inadequate compensation to migrant victims of torture; and efforts to remove persons to countries where they risk serious risk of harm–has attracted increased criticism. […]
