| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
maandag 30 november 2015
World News Update The Jazz Evangelist Daily Brief is out! Edition of 30 November 2015
World News Update Sand Glass ~ EurAsia is out! Edition of 30 November 2015
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
World Refugees and asylum seekers drown at the borders of Europe ..
REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS NEED YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT!
HOW SHOULD WE FEEL WHEN WE WERE INTO THEIR SHOES ?
Luc Schrijvers
Human Rights activist
MULTECI-DER CALLS TO THE EU & TURKISH LEADERS TO END THE DIRTY DEAL OVER REFUGEES
MULTECI-DER CALLS TO THE EU & TURKISH LEADERS: “put an end to the dirty deal and respect the human rights at the EU-Turkey summit on 29 November, 2015!”.
Dear All,
Please find below & attached Multeci-Der's (Association for Solidarity with Refugees) call to the leaders of EU and Turkey to end the dirty deal over refugees.
Kind regards,
MULTECI-DER CALLS TO THE LEADERS: “put an end to the dirty deal and respect the human rights at the EU-Turkey summit on 29 November, 2015!”
Today, on November 29, 2015, 11 years after the last summit, the leaders of the EU and Turkey are coming together. The topic of today’s negotiations is the refugees crossing into the European territory through Turkey.
According to the official figures, there are 2.2 million Syrian and nearly 300 thousand non-Syrian refugees and asylum seekers in Turkey. The other neighbours of Syria, Lebanon hosts over 1 million Syrian refugees, Jordan hosts over 600 thousand, Iraq hosts nearly 250 thousand and Egypt hosts nearly 130 thousand Syrian refugees. Apart from nearly 4.3 million registered Syrian refugees, it is estimated the neighbouring states including Turkey are also hosting many other unregistered Syrian refugees.
This year, the number of those who have crossed into Europe over the Aegean Sea has reached to 721,127; 328,130 of them were Syrian nationals.[1] In other words, the rate of the Syrian refugees irregularly entered into Europe via Turkey is 15% of the Syrian refugee population in Turkey.
Europe just recently realised the refugee crisis in the region. Now, Europe wants Turkey to stop those crossings, to protect the Fortress Europe and keep refugees within Turkey through strict border controls and bettering the living conditions of refugees within Turkey.
Up until now, EU member states with the support of Frontex, have tried to prevent refugee’s access into the territory by constructing walls or fences, digging ditches alongside the borders or through collective push-backs at land and sea borders. The methods which violate international, European and national laws have been employed. Now, Europe wants Turkey to use similar strict and often unlawful border “protection” methods which lead to human deaths and human rights violations in order to prevent irregular passages into Europe. Europe wants earlier implementation of the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement signed in December 2013. Europe wants to declare Turkey as a “third safe country” where refugees, asylum seekers could be returned and thus to initiate the readmission of refugees who irregularly entered into Europe via Turkey. Europe supports Turkey to increase the numbers and capacities of those detention/removal centres where those migrants and refugees who are readmitted or in irregular movement are to be detained. Europe wants to establish “hot points” or “asylum offices” within Turkey. Through those “asylum offices”, Europe wants to externalise its asylum system and plans to open its doors to only those “selected” refugees.
In return for its policing for Europe to stop refugees, Turkey wants visa liberalisation up to three months for its citizens into Europe (the Schengen region); opening up new chapters in the accession negotiations of Turkey into the EU, which will never come to a conclusion; 3 billion Euro financial support to improve the living standards of refugees in Turkey and political support for a “safe region” within Syria to keep refugees. Turkey expects the support of the EU for the implementation of strict border controls which may well contradict with international law and human rights; for increasing the numbers and capacities of readmission and removal detention centres and for strengthening its capacity to readmit and remove to the third countries.
We denounce this dirty deal over the lives of refugees. We say that no political, economical or social argument could be more precious than human lives. We call the EU and Turkish leaders to terminate this dirty deal at today’s summit, to respect human rights and human honour in all their policies and practices and to be transparent in their negotiations and in their asylum/migration policies/practices.
We also invite the EU and member states’ leaders:
-to take greater responsibility with other states in this biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War and to give up the attempts to transfer its responsibility;
- to accept many more numbers of refugees in their territories at a time when the millions are of concern; and to end up offering financial supports and/or other incentives to third countries in order to stop refugees entries into Europe.
- to open up safe and legal channels into Europe for those trying to reach to Europe.
- to stop exporting European asylum policies to third countries through “hot points” or “asylum offices”;
- to stop the implementation and export of strict border control policies which violate human rights and lead to human losses.
- to revoke the already concluded readmission agreements which aim at stopping or readmitting migrants and refugees by offering carrots like visa liberalisation, visa exemption, financial support, trade incentives to third countries including Turkey and not to negotiate new ones;
- to support the neighbouring states which host large numbers of refugees in a manner to improve employment opportunities for both local and refugee populations, to help them establish lives alongside the human rights and human honour, not to lead people to become dependent on assistance, and to ease the economical, social and political effects of refugee influx in the neighbouring countries;
- To combat against anti-refugee and xenophobic policies, political discourse and groups.
We invite the leaders of Turkey;
- to end this dirty deal over human lives
- Not give up the policies and practices which were deemed as good examples for other countries and let safe entry of refugees into Turkey;
- Not to allow or turn blind eyes to border control policies and practices that contradict with the human rights and human honour whoever the perpetrator may be; and to take effective administrative, criminal, diplomatic and political steps to investigate and punish any human rights violations of the officers of either Turkey or EU or EU member states;
- Not to accept becoming the police of Fortress Europe and import border control policies and practices that violate the human rights;
- to revise the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement, not to link this Agreement with visa liberalisation for Turkish citizens; not to conclude any readmission agreement which may facilitate the return of third country nationals to the countries where they may face persecution;
- Not to agree to negotiate or sign a readmission agreement regarding the readmission of those who are in need of international protection;
- No to let EU hot spots of asylum offices in Turkey; not to take over the EU responsibility over refugees on the grounds of financial or political concerns;
- to abrogate the “geographical limitation” to the 1951 Convention and allow legal local integration and permanent status for non-European refugees;
- to ensure effective access of refugees and asylum seekers to all human rights particularly to work permit and education and health services;
- to combat against anti-refugee and xenophobic discourse and hate crimes
Association for Solidarity with Refugees (Mülteci-Der / Mültecilerle Dayanışma Derneği)
[1] http://missingmigrants.iom.int/en/mediterranean-update-27-november-2015 328.130 of them are Syrian nationals, 142.301 of them are the nationals of Afghanistan, 44.349 of Iraq 17.881 of Pakistan and 10.286 of Iran.
World Europe News Update Alarm Phone Weekly Report 16th November – 22nd November 2015
Dear all,
Below and attached the weekly report of the Alarm Phone. Best wishes,
Maurice
Deadly denial of assistance in the Western Med; borders of Greece
increasingly sealed off
Alarm Phone Weekly Report 16th November – 22nd November 2015
Between Monday the 16th of November and Sunday the 22nd of November 2015
the Alarm Phone dealt with 44 cases of travellers in distress at the
European borders. In one particular case in the Western Mediterranean
Sea we witnessed a delayed rescue by the Spanish rescue organization
Salvamento Maritimo, which led to the drowning of at least 24 travellers
after a boat with 46 people on board had capsized off the coast of the
Western Sahara. As the rescue vessel had arrived at the spot prior to
the accident, why did it not act immediately but waited for almost an
hour until the boat had capsized? Later on Salvamento Maritimo
downplayed the number of travellers on board and the many missing
travellers, claiming that they had rescued all but one of them – a
statement that fundamentally contradicts the testimonies of survivors,
family members and Spanish activists
(http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/347).
In the Aegean Sea last week saw a slight decline of arrivals, with
approximately 4500 travellers reaching the Greek islands per day.[1]
This decrease reflects the increasing attempts of the EU to include
Turkey more thoroughly into its policy of deterrence. However, reports
from Lesvos indicate that there are still thousands of travellers in
Turkey willing to cross into Greece, the situation of which gets more
difficult from week to week.[2] But not only the Greek sea border is
increasingly blocked, also further north, on Wednesday the 18th of
November the border crossing point in Eidomenei at the Greek-Macedonian
border was closed for all travellers except Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis.
This desperate attempt to obstruct the freedom of movement of many led
to an unbearable situation of stuckness for thousands of travellers who
stranded at the border. However, it also fostered protests for many
days.[3] Amnesty International has rightly scandalized this racist
separation practice[4] and even the IOM, UNCHR and UNICEF resolutely
called for keeping the corridor to Central Europe open.[5] The Alarm
Phone has denounced such practices for months and recalls that only the
re-opening of Europe’s borders can stop the human suffering, degradation
and death that we have again witnessed during the past week.
Summary of cases
The Alarm Phone was alerted to 44 emergency situations at Europe’s
borders in the past week, 42 of which occurred in the Aegean Sea and 2
in the Western Mediterranean Sea. Summaries of the cases and links to
the more detailed reports on http://watchthemed.net can be found below.
Western Mediterranean Sea
On Monday the 16th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone was informed about a
boat with 11 travellers on board, which had left from Tangier
Med/Morocco. As our contact person had lost contact to the boat, we
informed the Spanish rescue organization Salvamento Maritimo and tried
to reach the travellers several times, but without success. Only at the
next day we learned from another contact person that the travellers had
safely arrived in Ceuta/Spain in the night from Monday to Tuesday.
http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/344
On Tuesday the 17th of November 2015 at 11.30pm the Alarm Phone was
alerted to a boat in distress with about 46 travellers on board, which
had left from Laâyoune in the Western Sahara, heading towards the Canary
Islands. We called the Spanish coastguard in Las Palmas, who stated that
they were already informed about this boat and were looking for it. At
the next morning we learned that the boat had capsized and that only 22
travellers had been rescued, while 24 were missing. In the afternoon,
Spanish media started to report about the capsized boat. It is highly
questionable, why so many travellers had to die, why the coastguard was
not able to rescue all of them and if it has delayed the
rescue.http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/347
Aegean Sea
On Monday the 16th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone was alerted to 9
groups of travellers in distress in the Aegean Sea. Two groups went back
to Turkey independently or were rescued and returned by the Turkish
coastguard. The Greek coastguard and Greek fishing vessels rescued 6
boats, while one group was rescued after stranding on the Greek island
of Kastellorizo. http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/345
On Tuesday the 17th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone dealt with 7 cases
of distress in the Aegean Sea, near the Greek islands of Strongyli,
Pasas Nisida, Lesvos and Farmakonisi. Three groups had stranded on Greek
island but were rescued and transferred to bigger islands afterwards.
One group of travellers finally arrived on Lesvos independently, while
two boats were rescued by the Greek coastguard and one by the Turkish
coastguard. http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/346
On Wednesday the 18th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone was alerted to 5
boats in distress near the Greek islands of Strongyli, Chios and Lesvos.
In all of the cases the travellers finally reached the Greek islands,
either by themselves or with the help of the Greek coastguard.
http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/348
On Thursday the 19th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone was alerted to 8
groups in distress in the Aegean Sea. Three boats in distress near the
Greek islands of Lesvos and Kos were rescued either by the Greek or by
the Turkish coastguard. 4 groups of travellers who had stranded on the
Greek islands of Kastellorizo, Nera and Strongyli were finally picked up
from these islands. Beyond that, the Alarm Phone supported a group of
travellers who got lost in a forest near the Turkish coast in the middle
of the night. http://watchthemed.net/reports/view/349
On Friday the 20th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone was alerted to 6
boats in distress near the Greek islands of Lesvos, Farmakonisi, Chios
and Samos. All groups of travellers were rescued afterwards. 5 groups
finally arrived in Greece while the Turkish coastguard rescued one
group, who had been beforehand attacked by a group of masked men, most
probably belonging to the coastguard, who took away their engine. Beyond
that, two groups who had stranded on the Greek island of Nisida Pasas
were picked up after the Alarm Phone had alerted the port authorities on
the Greek island of Chios. http://watchthemed.net/reports/view/350
On Saturday the 21st of November 2015 the Alarm Phone was in contact
with 4 groups of travellers who had stranded on the Greek islands of
Tilos, Strongyli, Ro and Kastellorizo. Due to bad weather conditions all
four groups could only be rescued on the following day. Beyond that, the
Alarm Phone was alerted to a boat in distress north-east of Samos, which
was later rescued by the Turkish coastguard.
http://watchthemed.net/reports/view/351
[1] http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/download.php?id=171
[2]
http://balkanroute.bordermonitoring.eu/2015/11/26/the-empty-cage-lesbos-arrivals-turkish-smugglers-and-eu-migration-politics/
[3] http://bordermonitoring.eu/liveticker/2015/11/live-ticker-eidomeni/
[4]
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/11/refugee-crisis-balkans-border-blocks-leave-thousands-segregated-and-stranded-in-greece/
[5]
http://www.iom.int/news/iom-unhcr-unicef-joint-statement-new-border-restrictions-balkans
World News Update The Decision is out! Edition of 30 November 2015
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abonneren op:
Posts (Atom)