1. Preliminary remarks; (Read full CPT report) 8. Malta, a small densely populated Mediterranean island of around 515,000 people, measuringsome 246 km², is situated in a highly strategic location at the border of Europe, lying directly northby sea from Tripoli, Libya. For asylum seekers and migrants crossing the Mediterranean, some fromconflict-ridden home countries and others […]
European Union
Greece: Covid-19 and Detention
More than 240 refugees and migrants have tested positive for Covid-19 in the newly erected Kara Tepe camp on Lesvos. The new camp, which was constructed after a fire levelled Moria camp, is built on a former military firing range near the main town of Mytilene. In the wake of the Moria fire, more than […]
Metsälä Detention Unit for Foreign Nationals from report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture 2020 visit to Finland)
B. Foreign nationals deprived of their liberty under aliens legislation (Read full CPT report)25. There had been no major changes to the legal framework for immigration detention since the2014 visit. As previously, foreign nationals could be deprived of their liberty by the police or theBorder Guard if it was necessary to establish their identity, to […]
Greece: Covid-19 and Detention
On 9 September 2020, a few days after several people in Lesvos’ Moria Camp tested positive for Covid-19, fires broke out that destroyed the camp, leaving some 13,000 people without shelter and resulting in a major humanitarian crisis. It is unclear how the fires began but according to Greece’s migration minister, the fires “began with […]
France: Covid-19 and Detention
In its response to the GDP’s Covid-19 survey, La Cimade, a French human rights NGO that operates inside many of the country’s immigration detention centres (Centres de Rétention Administrative or CRAs), confirmed previous reports that the country had not implemented a detention moratorium since the onset of the pandemic. The organisation explained, however, that in […]
Spain: Covid-19 and Detention
In Melilla, more than 1,400 refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants–including 150 women and 143 children–have again been confined in the enclave’s overcrowded CETI (Center for Temporary Stay of Immigrants) following a Covid-19 diagnosis. On 21 August, the facility was closed with no-one permitted to enter or exit–despite a judge’s decision on 24 August to overturn […]
Greece: Covid-19 and Detention
Greek authorities reported the first confirmed Covid-19 case in Lesvos’ overcrowded Moria Camp. In response, the country’s ministries for asylum, health, and civil protection announced in a joint statement that the camp would be closed for 14 days, and that authorities were actively tracing and testing all persons who had come into contact with the […]
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. […]
Bulgaria: Covid-19 and Detention
In a follow-up response to its 5 June GDP Covid-19 survey, the Interior Ministry provided additional information regarding removal procedures during the Covid-19 crisis. According to the ministry, removals were halted as there were practical difficulties in carrying out returns due to measures to protect the health of migrants and escort staff, as well as […]
Denmark: Covid-19 and Detention
Responding to the Global Detention Project’s (GDP) Covid-19 survey, the Danish Department of Prisons and Probations said that there is one main special detention centre for immigration detainees, which it administers (according to GDP data, while Denmark has one long-standing dedicated facility, the Ellebaek Detention Centre, it has recently used other facilities for detaining migrants […]
