On 12 October, the Justice and Home Affairs Council will discuss the new reform proposal of Frontex, the European Coast Guard and Border Guard Agency, two years after the last revision of the mandate in 2016. Regardless of the criticisms concerning rights violations inherent in its activities, the agency is in the process of acquiring executive powers as well as gaining an increased role in deporting migrants from Member States and non-European countries.
The Frontexit collective (...)
Press releases
Articles in this section
The « Moria 35 » trial on the Greek island of Chios: between iniquity and instrumentalisation of justice against exiles
On 28 April 2018, 32 of the 35 migrants prosecuted for arson, rebellion, damage to property, attempted violence and disturbance of public order, received 26-month suspended prison sentences from the court of Chios (Greece) after a four-day trial tainted by many irregularities. They were found guilty of injuring police officers, and were acquitted of all other charges.
Prior to this sentence, the 32 convicted persons spent nine long months in pre-trial detention based on a very questionable (...)28-29 June 2018 European Council – Strengthening Borders Signals the Death of Migrants and the EU
Fewer and fewer migrants are able to cross EU borders. Over the first six months of the year, arrivals by sea to Italy decreased by over 70% compared with 2017 . In spite of this, a few hundred migrants rescued at sea have been portrayed as the root cause of the most significant “crisis” ever faced by the EU. The European Council, which is meeting on 28-29 June, is once again placing at the top of its agenda the response to “migratory pressures”. However, the “solutions” that will be put forward (...)
The serious risk caused by the italian government’s position in the Aquarius’ issue : spanish intervention does not raise Italy from its responsibilities
Press releases ASGI
ASGI LAUNCHES THE ALARM: POSSIBLE IMMINENT REPEAT OF SAME EPISODES
At the time of writing, the case of the vessel Aquarius has not yet come to an end which will hopefully be a positive one, thanks to the intervention of Spanish authorities and despite the conduct of the Italian Government.
The welcome decision of Spain to choose solidarity and to take in charge, materially and legally, the survivors rescued by the Aquarius shall not obfuscate the serious responsibility of the Italian (...)Libyan Coast Guard or NGOs: Italy and the EU have chosen their allies
Joint Press Release Migreurop, EuroMed Rights and FIDH
At the end of 2016, Italy – supported by the EU – initiated a dual strategy to put an end to migrant arrivals from the central Mediterranean: criminalize the rescue of people, and once again make Libya Europe’s policeman. Both dimensions became more pronounced during the summer of 2017, with the imposition of a "code of conduct" on NGOs and the sequestration of vessels of recalcitrant organizations who did not sign up to the code. At the (...)