Global Detention Project

: While South Africa's elections ramped up xenophobic rhetoric, NGOs like Lawyers for Human Rights ramped up legal action against the Department of Home Affairs for its abusive detention practices, like detaining asylum seekers at asylum application offices

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…

Annual Report: Important Victories amidst Detention's Inexorable Expansion

In the past year we have witnessed--and worked with our partners to help achieve--important victories limiting the use of indefinite immigration detention; at the same time, however, there has been an unmistakable entrenchment of detention as an enforcement tool as migration and refugee pressures grow in nearly every corner of the globe.
https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/annual-report-important-victories-amidst-inexorable-expansionGDP

From the IMMIGRATION DETENTION MONITOR: hashtag : UN Agency Adds Voice to Growing Global Clamour Over CanBorder - Canadian Immigration and Placement's Immigration Detention Practices
Canada is among the few countries in the developing world that continues to use prisons for immigration detention purposes, as the Global Detention Project has long noted in its reports about the country.
Following lengthy civil society campaigns opposing this practice, by March 2024 all 10 Canadian provinces had pledged to end their agreements with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for use of their prisons. But the Canadian government has countered these developments by pushing to introduce the practice of incarcerating migrants deemed at “high risk” in federal penitentiaries, which advocates have lambasted as being “inconsistent with basic Canadian values.”
In May 2024, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention conducted an official visit to Canada to investigate a range of detention and imprisonment concerns in the country, including immigration detention practices. After the visit, the WGAD reported shortcomings in official oversight of Canada’s immigration authorities, indefinite detention, and worrying trends in the use of prisons for immigration detention, among other concerns.

lnkd.in

From the IMMIGRATION DETENTION MONITOR: "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.
https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/eu-lebanon-deal-risks-to-expose-syrian-and-other-refugees-to-refoulement-and-human-rights-violations

From the IMMIGRATION DETENTION MONITOR: Increasing calls for

to stop summary detention & deportation of Sudanese, as well as growing pressure on EU to prevent its aid to the country from being used to violate the rights of refugees

Egypt: Detaining and Refouling Sudanese Refugees Fleeing Spiralling Conflict in Sudan There are increasing calls for Egypt to stop its summary detention and deportation of Sudanese who are fleeing the escalating crisis in their country, as well as growing pressure on the European Union…

Latest from the Immigration Detention Monitor: The case of

detention and threatened deportation of dissident Abdulrahman al-Khalidi & increasing use of migra detention for reasons unrelated to migration

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.

Latest from the Immigration Detention Monitor: Senegal: Blocking the West African Migration Route. Frontex says the West Africa route surged in 2023, but Europe's plans to boost surveillance and control operations may result in more harm

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…

Today, the Global Detention Project and the Committee for Justice have issued an urgent appeal to the European Commissions, the UN Human Rights Council and Special Procedures, UNHCR, and the IOM urging them to confront Egypt about its draconian response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding on its southern border as the conflict in Sudan continues to spiral out of control, putting some 25 million people in dire need of assistance. tinyurl.com/3tw8uzc2
As large numbers of Sudanese refugees have entered Egypt, Egyptian authorities have responded by ramping up arrests, arbitrary detentions, pushbacks, and refoulements, in breach of Egypt’s obligations under international refugee law and its international human rights commitments. Critically, these violations are occurring at a time of increased support from the European Union aimed at boosting Egypt’s migration management operations, which raises concerns about Europe’s potential culpability in abuses committed against vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers in the region.

In our urgent appeal, the GDP and the Committee for Justice have called on the European Commission and Parliamentary Members, UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture, UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and International Organisation for Migration to immediately address the situation. In particular, we urge them to consider calling on Egypt to:

Cease de facto and arbitrary detention operations in border regions;
End immigration detention for children and their families;
Ensure that detainees are able to challenge the grounds of their detention before a court or other competent, independent, and impartial authority, and are provided access to legal aid;
Remove visa requirements for those fleeing the conflict in Sudan;
Suspend all deportations to Sudan;
Establish procedures that guarantee access to fair and efficient asylum proceedings for all those who are in Egyptian territory and claim asylum;
Suspend the enforcement of penalties on refugees coming directly from a territory where their life or freedom was threatened on account of their illegal entry or presence in Egypt;
Grant access to UNHCR and humanitarian organisations to border areas where large influxes of refugees are occurring and guarantee the right to access detention centre for independent institutions;
Provide data on immigration detention and deportations to ensure transparency and accountability.

Urgent Appeal on the Detention and Refoulement of Sudanese Refugees in Egypt With the escalating conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese army and opposition paramilitary forces entering its twelfth month, the humanitarian crisis in the country continues to deteriorate…

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(US-based? Make a tax-deductible donation to the GDP via here: https://www.every.org/globaldetentionproject )

Publication Details 1.1    This submission for the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of China has been prepared by the Global Detention Project (GDP), a non-profit organisation based in Geneva that promotes the human rights of people who have been detained for reasons related to their non-citize...

"Transparency of immigration detention practices is crucial for promoting change and protecting immigration detainees"

Our Annual Report takes a look at progress made in 2022, and our work shining a light on the treatment of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers confined behind bars as a result of their immigration status.

Read the full report here: https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/2022-annual-report-building-partnerships-harnessing-data-ending-arbitrary-immigration-detention

In recent weeks, the Lebanese army has conducted multiple raids across the country, arresting 100s of Syrians who entered Lebanon irregularly or whose residency cards have expired.

Following their arrest, many have been forcefully expelled into Syria.

https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/lebanon-steps-up-forceful-removals-of-syrian-refugees

The Global Detention Project hosted an outstanding webinar early this week looking at the intersection of human trafficking and immigration detention. We had a remarkable line up of speakers, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking, Siobhán Mullally, and the lead ASEAN human rights rep, Yuyun Wahyuningrum. Take a look! https://youtu.be/vULj12LWZGg

Global Detention Project Webinar: Protecting Victims of Trafficking from Immigration Detention In this webinar we hear from four global experts on human trafficking about how the principle of non-punishment can be used to protect victims of trafficking...

New on the blog

Switzerland: In the morning of Saturday 8 April, a male immigration detainee was found unconscious in his cell in Geneva’s Favra detention facility. His death has prompted renewed calls for authorities to close the controversial centre.

https://lnkd.in/g6W6_f46

Switzerland: Detainee’s Death Reignites Calls to End Immigration Detention In the morning of Saturday 8 April, a male immigration detainee was found unconscious in his cell in Geneva’s Favra detention facility. His death has prompted renewed calls for authorities to close…

"The cruel & horrific nature of the deaths in Ciudad Juárez reveal the often brutal treatment migrants face in Mexican detention centres. But the grim reality is that immigration custody can be a death sentence for people in every region of the world." https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/deaths-in-ciudad-juarez-detention-centre-reveal-the-brutality-of-immigration-control-in-mexico

Deaths in Ciudad Juárez Detention Centre Reveal the Brutality of Immigration Control in Mexico The horrific deaths of more than 40 migrants and asylum seekers in a fire while padlocked inside a cell in Mexico’s Ciudad Juárez migrant detention centre (“Estacion Migratoria”) have spurred calls to…

A win in South Korea!

The Constitutional Court has officially found that the country's policy of indefinitely detaining migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers without due process guarantees is unconstitutional.

More in our latest blog: https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/republic-of-korea-indefinite-detention-without-due-process-guarantees-ruled-unconstitutional

“Turkish authorities should carefully re-assess the necessity of detaining migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in immigration detention facilities where their lives and safety could be endangered” - Rachael Reilly (GDP Senior Advocacy Coordinator)

: In earthquake-struck & , immigration detainees have been released or transferred. But elsewhere within the earthquake zone, some migrants remain confined, and it is unclear if authorities have conducted structural assessments to determine facilities' stability and safety. Several deportations have also been reported. In our joint statement with the Türkiye-based International Refugee Rights Association, we urge Turkish authorities and the international community to ensure that migrants and refugees, particularly those confined in detention facilities, are protected and assisted in the earthquake response.

Read more: https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/statement-impact-of-turkiye-syria-earthquake-on-immigration-detention-centres-and-detainees

Thailand has a sprawling network of abysmal immigration detention centres, in one of which died Aziz Abdullah, a 49-year-old Uyghur who fled persecution in China a decade ago only to end up in a filthy overcrowded Thai detention centre where they failed to give him proper medical attention. And yet, Thailand is also regarded as a leading member of the Network on Migration's "peer learning" initaitive concerning "promising practices." If Thailand wants to be a global leader, it should act like a global leader and end the nightmare of indefinite arbitrary immigration detention. The best promising practice when it comes to asylum seekers is not to detain them at all. https://lnkd.in/e3y_3aKg https://lnkd.in/epZZMYmP

The GDP has received alarming reports detailing the detention of 44 non-nationals in Ukraine’s Volyn detention centre. Conditions in the facility are reported to be dire, raising serious concerns for detainees’ safety and wellbeing.

Amidst the ongoing suffering across 🇺🇦, it is crucial that the rights of asylum seekers caught up within the conflict are not overlooked. Ukraine must consider immediately releasing all foreign nationals who are being detained for immigration reasons.

https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/countries/europe/ukraine -updates

In an assessment of the Centre for Policy Studies' (CPS) report on UK asylum reform, we take a close look at Australia’s notorious immigration detention system to illustrate the realities of the CPS’ cruel & extreme proposals.

"The fact that the UK is today seeking to revive and propagate the discredited Australian model is deeply worrying and requires a concerted response at all levels - domestically, regionally, and globally."

https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/a-gdp-assessment-of-the-centre-for-policy-studies-proposals-for-uk-detention-reform

Round 6: The John Kennedy Bingham Memorial Series | Episode 3: #FreedomForAll: End Detention Now

is here! ❤️

Join the global movement and support the GDP's work ending arbitrary and indefinite migration-related detention. Donate today! www.globaldetentionproject.org

(Are you US-based? You can make a tax-deductible donation to the GDP via our partners at the King Baudouin Foundation here > https://bit.ly/3APltnp)

Israel’s recent treatment of Ukrainians and Russians starkly contrasts to that experienced by other refugees and asylum seekers – many of whom face detention and deportation, as well as coercive policies attempting to encourage them to leave “voluntarily.” 👇👇

https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/countries/middle-east/israel -updates

UK authorities continue to peddle a narrative that migrants are "abusing the system" in order to justify hardening immigration policies. The result? Increasing numbers of vulnerable trafficking victims held behind bars.

Our latest blog takes a look: https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/countries/europe/united-kingdom -updates

📢 📢 The GDP is delighted to welcome Sahar Okhovat on board as our new President. Sahar replaces outgoing President Robert Cecchetti, who has steered the GDP Executive Committee since 2017.

Read more: https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/sahar-okhovat-elected-as-new-president-of-the-global-detention-project

The Immigration Detention Monitor Welcome to the Global Detention Project's blog tracking the latest developments in migration-related detention practices and policies, urgent appeals, and emerging situations across the globe.

Is There Convergence on Immigration Detention between the Global Compact for Migration and the Migrant Workers Convention?
A Global Detention Project Submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers

September 2022

This submission identifies critical gaps between the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families with respect to protections for people detained for migration or asylum-related reasons. The submission assesses provisions concerning the detention of children, the use of "alternatives to detention," the criminalisation of migration, and adherence to the overall global human rights regime.

See:
https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/submission-to-the-un-committee-on-migrant-workers-general-comment-no-6-on-the-convergence-of-the-international-convention-on-the-rights-of-migrant-workers-and-the-global-compact-for-migration

Submission to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers: General Comment No.6 on the Convergence of the International Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and the Global Compact for Migration To support the UN CMW's work developing its new General Comment (No.6) on the Convergence of the Convention and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, the GDP has provided…