Bulgaria: The Alarming Case of Detained Saudi Journalist Abdulrahman al-Khalidi

Bulgaria’s extremely long immigration detention of a Saudi law student and human rights activist reveals the degrading conditions in which migrants and asylum seekers are detained in the country. It also reflects a broader trend in Europe and globally: the de facto use of immigration detention for purposes that may have nothing to do with […]

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Saudi political activist Abdulrahman al-Khalidi (Source: https://www.menarights.org/en/case/abdulrahman-al-bakr-al-khalidi)

Senegal: Blocking the West African Migration Route

The West African migration route leading to Spain’s Canary Islands saw a major spike in traffic in 2023, increasing by 161 percent compared to 2022, according to the European Union border agency, Frontex. As most of these crossings originate in Senegal and involve mainly young migrants, many under the age of 18, the country’s efforts […]

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Migrants on a boat headed to the Canary Islands, (source: https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/55792/canary-islands-un-steps-in-for-senegalese-teen-held-in-adult-prison)

Calls for Closure of Controversial Detention Centre in Trinidad and Tobago 

After a Trinidad and Tobago court recognised “shocking and appalling” treatment of a Venezuelan child at the Chaguaramas Heliport detention facility, some are calling for the controversial facility to be closed. Previously, detainees have protested the conditions they were forced to endure at the facility, and human rights activists in the country have argued that […]

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Chaguaramas Heliport Detention Centre (Source, Google Streetview)

Reports of Inhumane Conditions and Worrying Lack of Transparency at Milan’s CPR

In February, a detainee protest concerning harmful living conditions and health risks in a detention centre in Milan was met with violent repression. This latest event, one of a string of similar incidents in Italy’s network of CPRs (Centro di Permanenza per il Rimpatrio), has raised broader concerns about the disregard for human rights across […]

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A group of migrants in Milan's CPR, Source https://www.fanpage.it/milano/appalti-truccati-al-cpr-di-milano-perquisizioni-in-corso-della-guardia-di-finanza/

Mass Escape from Malaysian Detention Centre Highlights Need for Reforms 

On 1 February, 131 (mainly Rohingya) refugees escaped from an immigration detention centre in the Malaysian state of Perak following reported riots in the facility, called the Bidor Temporary Immigration Depot. This is the second mass escape in two years from a Malaysian detention centre, which observers say underscores the inhumane conditions that immigration detainees […]

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Rohingya refugees, who escaped from a Malaysian Immigration detention centre on Wednesday, are rearrested by police (Source: Al Jazeera - https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/20/six-killed-as-hundreds-of-rohingya-flee-malaysia-detention)

Reports of Refoulement in Kyrgyzstan Amidst Fears of Shrinking Asylum Space 

In December, UNHCR expressed “grave concern” at the disappearance of an asylum seeker in Kyrgyzstan and his refoulement to his country of origin. Similar incidents have been reported in recent years, with rights observers also decrying the country’s shrinking asylum space.  According to UNHCR, on 16/17 October an asylum seeker was arrested by security services […]

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A view of Bishkek's Pre-Trial Detention Centre No.1 (Source: AKIPress)

Policy and Practice Updates From the Gulf 

In the past year, detention and deportation operations have been on the rise across the Gulf region. The GDP’s partner in the region, Migrant-Rights.org, has been documenting and reporting on these campaigns. They have detailed how every week “hundreds of migrant workers [are] detained in searches and raids. Most workers are detained for having inaccurate […]

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Al Hidd Detention Centre (Source: Migrant-Rights.org)

Slovenia Extends Border Controls and Announces Migrant “Handling Facilities” at Croatian Border 

Amid a rise in the number of irregular arrivals intercepted at the country’s border, the Slovenian government has introduced increased border controls along its Croatian and Hungarian borders and announced plans to establish a migrant “handling facility” at the Obrežje border crossing.  According to Slovenian police, 60,587 people were intercepted while attempting to enter Slovenia […]

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As Finland Closes Eastern Border, Authorities Announce Plans for New “Registration Centres”

In response to what authorities have described as “instrumentalised migration” at its eastern frontier, in November Finland took the extraordinary step of closing its entire border with Russia. The government has also permitted the Immigration Service to establish “registration centres” where arrivals can be held for up to seven days.  In November, Finland recorded a […]

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