In response to an information request submitted by the Global Detention Project and the NGO Human Constanta, Belarus Deputy Minister of the Interior Ministry Aleksandr Barsukov confirmed that during the pandemic non-nationals who violate the country’s legislation may continue to face detention and deportation. He wrote, “For foreigners violating the legislation of the Republic of […]
Europe
Ukraine: Covid-19 and Detention
According to information provided to the Global Detention Project (GDP) by the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group (KHPG), the Ukrainian government is currently preparing to release inmates from prisons across Ukraine in an effort to stem the spread of the virus. Together with the Ministry of Justice, KHPG has prepared two bills on amnesty and […]
United Kingdom: Covid-19 and Detention
Despite an unsuccessful legal challenge from Detention Action seeking the release of all immigration detainees at the High Court in March (see 5 April update), more than 700 detainees were released between 16 March and 21 April as the government responded to concerns about the spread of Covid-19 within immigration detention facilities. The organisation has […]
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Covid-19 and Detention
As public attitudes towards migrants and refugees reportedly deteriorate across Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country’s Security Minister suggested on 23 April that non-citizens should be deported from the country. Alleging that they pose too great an economic burden during the pandemic – as well as a security threat – the Minister said that he would […]
Serbia: Covid-19 and Detention
NGOs report that 6,852 migrants and asylum seekers are currently confined in the country’s 13 closed reception centres. Many had tried to cross into Croatia and Hungary – with some being forcibly pushed back by Hungarian and Croatian border police. In recent months, anti-migrant sentiment has grown in the country: a rally in Belgrade in […]
United Kingdom: Covid-19 and Detention
The UK’s Home Affairs Select Committee has called on the government to investigate concerns that cramped conditions in asylum accommodation are putting people at risk of the virus. In particular, the Committee noted its concerns regarding reports of poor conditions in an asylum centre in West Yorkshire that reportedly breached measures to control the spread […]
Russian Federation: Covid-19 and Detention
On 18 April, President Putin signed a decree “On Temporary Measures to Resolve the Legal Situation of Foreign Citizens and Stateless Persons in the Russian Federation in Connection with the Threat of Further Spread of the new Coronavirus Infection Covid-19.” This new decree provides that the period from 15 March until 15 June 2020 will […]
Lithuania Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Lithuania Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Lithuania, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Lithuania Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Lithuania: Country Page Lithuania: COVID-19 Updates Immigration Detention in Lithuania: Detention and Denial Amidst Extreme Population Decline […]
Turkey Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Turkey Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Turkey, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. Related Reading: Turkey: Country Page Turkey: Country Report Turkey: COVID-19 Updates […]
United Kingdom: Covid-19 and Detention
As news emerged of a second confirmed case of Covid-19 within a UK Removal Centre, Alison Thewliss – chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Immigration Detention – urged the UK government to release immigration detainees. In a letter to Home Secretary Priti Patel, Thewliss wrote, “The confirmation of a new coronavirus case at Brook […]
