NCADC news round-up, 25 February
Daily news round-up from NCADC
Today’s top stories:
- ECRE calls on Europe to offer safe haven for people fleeing bloodshed in Libya
- UK Border Agency tells Libyans to prepare to leave UK and go home as soon as possible(!)
- EU advances deal with Turkey to deport more migrants, and Frontex focuses on preventing Libyans reaching safety
- Yemen: Somali refugees drown after boat capsizes
MEDIA
Call for European safe haven for people fleeing bloodshed in Libya
ECRE – European Council on Refugees and Exiles, 25 February 2011
As the situation in Libya is worsening and the world is watching the atrocities of Gaddafi’s regime, European governments are stepping up efforts to evacuate their citizens outside the country. The repression is brutal and just as British, Turkish, Egyptians and other foreigners, some Libyans and refugees from sub-Saharan countries unable to go back and stranded in Libya will need refuge from violence and human rights abuses.
At this historical moment, on the other side of the Mediterranean, the EU needs to live up to its obligations to protect those fleeing the violence. With or without Frontex, border control operations carried out at sea cannot result in persons being returned to Libya without assessing in a fair asylum procedure whether they are in need of international protection.
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Meanwhile, in UK, the Border Agency tells Libyans to leave UK as soon as possible.
Free Movement blog, 25 February
“The UK Border Agency is aware that the visas of some Libyans may expire before they are able to leave the UK, due to the current situation in Libya. Travellers transiting through Libya to other countries may also be affected. The agency appreciates that this is due to exceptional circumstances. You should keep proof of original travel plans as evidence of your intention to comply with your visa requirements. You should make arrangements to leave the country as soon as possible.”
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Most EU states view Italy’s concerns over refugee threat as grossly exaggerated
Migrants at Sea blog, 25 February
The JHA Council yesterday rejected Italy’s call for a stronger EU response to what it describes as an impending migrant flow from North Africa consisting of hundreds of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers. Several EU governments and the IOM described the Italian request as one that was based on exaggerated fears, and scaremongering.
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Cap on skilled non-EU migrants ‘will leave holes in public sector’
Nigel Morris, the Independent, 25 February
Net migration also increased, mainly because the number of Britons moving abroad has fallen while immigration levels have stayed broadly constant over the last three years. Ministers said the continuing pressure on borders underlined the need to impose stricter limits on non-European Union citizens applying to live and work in this country. However, a survey found that many employers, including hospital managers, are struggling to fill vacancies because of tough new visa restrictions.
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EUROPE
EU advances deal with Turkey to deport more migrants Frontex focusing on preventing Libyans reaching safety
EU Observer, 25 February 2011
EU interior ministers on Thursday (24 February) gave the green light to a readmission agreement with Turkey which they hope may help stem irregular migration into the EU from the Middle East and Africa. A spokeperson for Fortress Europe’s paramilitary border force, Frontex, described people fleeing oppression in Libya as “chancing their luck” in the the EU, and confirmed that stopping their escape to safety is a Frontex priority.
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INTERNATIONAL
Yemen: Somali refugees drown after boat capsizes
BBC, 24 February
Fifty-seven Somali refugees have drowned off the coast of Yemen after a boat capsized earlier this week. The United Nations Refugee Agency said that the refugees were fleeing heavy fighting between African Union troops and insurgents. Somalia has not had a functioning government for over 20 years. It is a dangerous journey for Somalian refugees fleeing the war, and those who reach the UK find exceptional difficulties applying for sanctuary.
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Gun battles erupt in Ivorian city
Al Jazeera, 23 February
A series of explosions and gunfire have rocked the main city of Abidjan that supports Ivorian presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara, with protesters calling on his rival to step down. At least three soldiers were killed in the clashes.
EVENTS
Conference: Contemporary Challenges for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
When: Saturday 26 February 2011
Where: University of Nottingham.
The Human Rights Law Centre announces open registration for the Twelfth Annual Student Human Rights Conference: Contemporary Challenges for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons.
Please note: The deadline for the early bird registration is Tuesday 22 February 2011.
By encouraging multi-disciplinary participation, the conference seeks to review the current concerns regarding the protection afforded to refugees and internally displaced persons and the real impact of statelessness on the lives of millions of people worldwide.
Keynote speakers include:
- Dr Chaloka Beyani, Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons
- Professor Guy Goodwin-Gill, Senior Research Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford University
- Maria Stavropoulou, Senior Regional Protection Officer, UNHCR Regional Representation for Southern Europe
- Dr Guglielmo Verdirame, Lecturer Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, University of Cambridge.
Ticket Prices:
Students: Advance registration £15; Regular £25
Non-students: Advance registration £30; Regular £40
Ticket prices include drinks and refreshments.
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Anti-Deportation Workshop
London, Wednesday 2 March
SOAS Detainee Support Group & NCADC
When: Wednesday, 2 March 2011/ 5-8:00pm
Where: SOAS, Kings Cross Campus,
Vernon Square, Room V122, London
Book a place: email ncadc@ncadc.org.uk or 231602@soas.ac.uk / call 07792496066
www.ncadc.org.uk/events for more information
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Yarl’s Wood protest – Saturday 5 March
Come and celebrate International Women’s Day by showing solidarity with the migrant women imprisoned at Yarl’s Wood!
Saturday, 5th March 2011, 1pm
@ Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre
Twinwoods Road, Clapham, Bedfordshire, MK41 6HL
Please organise your own transport.
End the detention of migrant women!
Close Yarl’s Wood now!
Supporting groups:
Stop Deportation Network
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Mothers March
London, Saturday 12 March
Assemble 12 noon: Trafalgar Square (north side)
Speak-out 2pm: Room G2, SOAS
(School of Oriental & African Studies) Thornhaugh St, London WC1H 0XG
Invest in caring not killing – For everyone’s survival and welfare
End Cuts, Poverty & Discrimination
WOMEN, MEN, YOUNG, OLD BRING YOUR DEMANDS!
www.globalwomenstrike.net Tel: +44 (0)20 7482 2496 gws@globalwomenstrike.net
Join gws on facebook & on twitter.com/WomenStrike
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Launch meetings: Report of the BAIL OBSERVATION PROJECT
Where: Oxford (Old Library, Town Hall, St Aldates, Oxford)
When: Tuesday 15 March, 7.30pm,
Speakers will include the report’s authors, a former detainee who obtained bail, and an immigration lawyer.
Where: London (Committee Room, Houses of Parliament, Westminster)
When: Tuesday 22 March, 7pm
Chair: John Mcdonnell MP, other speakers to include report authors, bailee, immigration lawyer(s)
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Young People Seeking Safety Week; 28 March – 3 April 2011
The Young People Seeking Safety campaign is a network of individuals and organisations who have joined together to promote the rights and safety of unaccompanied young people seeking asylum in the UK.
Young People Seeking Safety Week 2011 (28 March – 3 April 2011) is a chance to share the music, film, and photography of young people expressing their experiences of seeking safety in the UK. Around the UK community groups will host events to bring attention to the issues facing unaccompanied young people.
