In September, Reuters reported that Ghana had agreed to accept West African nationals deported from the United States under a new agreement between the two countries–marking yet another expansion of the Trump Administration’s unprecedented efforts to summarily deport irregular migrants to third countries. Shortly after their arrival in Ghana, the deportees were reportedly expelled to Togo. Ghana was previously accused, in 2023, of unlawfully expelling refugees from Burkina Faso, undermining Ghana’s commitment to international legal standards. […]
Refoulement
Sudanese Refugees in Egypt: “Voluntary” Returns Amidst Intensified Detention and Deportation Campaign
Egypt has recently returned hundreds of Sudanese nationals as part of a new “voluntary” transportation scheme that is jointly administered by Egypt and Sudan. Although officials describe the initiative in humanitarian terms, the returns–in addition to the hundreds of thousands of additional “voluntary” returns that have been reported since last year–coincide with larger efforts by Egypt to ramp up the targeting of refugees and asylum seekers for detention and deportation. The crackdown is creating a climate of fear amongst refugee communities and has raised questions about whether the returns can be considered “voluntary.” […]
Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
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.” […]
Urgent Appeal: Growing Threats to Refugees in Egypt
As new reports of massacres and famine emerge from the conflict in Sudan, Egypt seems poised to adopt a new asylum law that will threaten access to protection for those desperately fleeing the conflict while enabling their detention and refoulement without consideration of individual needs. […]
South Africa: Submission Concerning Arbitrary Detention and Other Violations of the Human Rights of Migrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers
Human Rights Committee, 142nd Session List of Issues Prior to Reporting CONTENTS Introduction and information about the authors Background and context Issues for consideration by the Committee ahead of the adoption of the LOIPR Arbitrary and summary arrests of asylum seekers and refugees at Refugee Reception Office (‘RROs’): (Article 9,10,12) Detention of children in immigration […]
Iraq Summarily Deporting Refugees
Numerous news outlets and human rights groups have in recent months reported on Iraq’s increasing detention and deportation of Syrian refugees, in a breach of its non-refoulement obligations. Deportees have included registered asylum seekers with UNHCR documents as well as people with valid Iraqi residence permits. Reports also suggest that there are growing public calls […]
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review
CONCERNING ISSUES RELATED TO IMMIGRATION DETENTION AND MIGRANT RIGHTS SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE 4TH CYCLE As discussed in more detail below (see section 8), the above-named civil society organisations urge Member States of the UH Human Rights Council to support the following recommendations for of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 4th Cycle of the […]
Ghana: Expelling People Fleeing Conflict in Burkina Faso
Despite calls from UNHCR and several rights groups to cease unlawful expulsions of people escaping the conflict in Burkina Faso, Ghana continues to detain and deport refugees fleeing that country’s spiralling conflict with jihadist groups. The Sahel Refugee Crisis and its Effects on Northern Ghana Since 2022, with the escalating jihadist conflict affecting the Sahel, […]
South Africa: Challenging Abusive Detention Practices in Court
Refugee rights groups are pursuing legal action against South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs in response to what it claims are unlawful arrests, detentions, and deportations of new asylum applicants. They denounce these practices as a violation of human rights, the country’s Constitution, and international law, including the principle of non-refoulement. A coalition of NGOs […]
An EU-Lebanon Refugee Deal Amidst An Unprecedented Crackdown on Refugees
The EU’s recently signed deal with Lebanon to provide financial assistance for hosting refugees and boosting border security comes as Lebanese authorities pursue an “unprecedented” crackdown targeting Syrian refugees. Human rights groups fear that the deal will keep refugees out of Europe while facilitating their deportation to Syria, in violation of human rights obligations. In […]
