Non-Citizen News Round-Up

Refugee Camp in Boynuyogan, Turkey in June (via MSNBC) 

Italy: The European Court of Human Rights issues a major smackdown to Italy this week, ruling in Hirsi Jamaa and Others v. Italy that the policy of intercepting migrant boats at sea and returning them (most often to Libya) breached their various obligations of non-refoulement. (Not exactly tough to see why.) This case is HUGE because its one of the rare instances the Court has ruled on the prohibition against mass-expulsion, as well as adding to already strong migrants and refugee rights jurisprudence at the court. Check it out!

Case of Hirsi Jamaa and Others v. Italy (ECtHR) 
Yet Another Mala Figura: Italy Breached Non-Refoulement Obligations (EJIL Blog)

USA: In news welcomed by LGBQT Refugee advocates, the Obama administration has published clarified rules for courts and asylum officers on adjudicating asylum claims based on membership in one of these persecuted social group. I will probably do a full post on this later but for now there is every reason to be pleased at this news, particularly since the glance I've taken shows the gov moving away from the "married/pregnant/ straight-looking people can't be persecuted as gay" techniques that characterized past cases in the US.
Guidance for Adjudicating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Refugee and Asylum Claims (USCIS) (pdf)
LBQT Asylum in US Made a Little Easier (Care 2)


Turkey: Of course, more than any other story this week, focus should be on the Syrians streaming into Turkey fleeing increasing violence. There are now reports that landmines have been laid across escape routes to prevent would-be refugees from escaping. Meanwhile, in response to the emergency UNHCR has appointed a special coordinator for the region's refugees and internally displaced.
On the Turkish Border, a Stream of Fleeing Syrians (Reuters)
Syria: Army Planting Banned Landmines (Human Rights Watch)
UNHCR appioints regional refugee coordinator for Syrian Refugees (UNHCR)

USCRI's World Refugee Survey 2009

[Photo: US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants]
Every year the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants publishes their World Refugee survey, a great resource for stats and facts on the refugee populations and their treatment in virtually every country in the world.

Check it out here: World Refugee Survey!

Some highlights from this years report:
* The Thai navy dragged disabled boats full of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar out to sea and abandoned them to the sun and sea.
* Xenophobic mob attacks in South Africa killed dozens of foreigners and drove tens of thousands from their homes.
* Hamas rocket attacks launched from Gaza provoked an Israeli invasion, including indiscriminate attacks, that killed more than 1,400 Palestinians
* Malaysian officials continued to sell deported refugees into slavery.
* Kenya continued its attempts to stem the flow of Somali refugees by forcing hundreds back across the border, beating many and demanding bribes from them.
* Egyptian border guards shot and killed more than 30 African migrants trying to cross into Israel.
* Turkey continued to deport hundreds of asylum seekers back to their countries of origin without any chance at protection, and in one incident drowned four people by forcing them to try to swim across a swift river into Iraq.
(From the USCRI site)

So... what's going on in Greece and Turkey?

[Photo: Andrea Motta]
New on Greece and Turkey

Six Die in Migrant Boat Accident
Eight Afghan Illegal Immigrants Drown off Coast of Greek Island
Two recent incidents highlight the dangers that some immigrants are willing to face in order to gain access to the European Union, and the importance of heightened communication and cooperation with Turkey in dealing the EU border states. In both cases, a boat full of illegal immigrants, once with passengers from Palestine, and the other from Afghanistan, capsized in the Aegean Sea resulting in the deaths of the passengers. Both boats were carrying children.

Greece Shuts down Migrant Detention Center
Even those lucky enough to make it into Greece face grave difficulties, as this article demonstrates. A detention center on the Isle of Lesbos that had come under fire for its human rights abuses by the UNHCR was closed by Greek authorities, and its 900 inhabitants were sent to neighboring islands. The center will reopen and expect to hold roughly 150 immigrants.

Turkey Frets over EU's Illegal Immigrants
As illegal immigration increases, Greece and Turkey have become primary barriers into the EU, and the way these two countries handle illegal immigrants have huge significance: both for the EU's human rights reputation and for the potential for Turkish accession. The prime Turkish negotiator for accession, Egemen Bağış, highlighted this issue recently, claiming that it demonstrates why Turkey can be considered both a "bridge" and a "barrier" to the Middle East.

Lastly, a report by NGO's the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, NOAS and AITIMA chastises Greece for massive deportations of immigrations without assessment of their claims to refugee status, in violation of the 1951 Geneva Convention.

Clearly, as borders of Europe, Turkey and Greece shoulder a disproportionate amount of responsibility for how the European Union welcomes and treats its immigrants. However, it is crucial that Europe shows its commitment to refugee and human rights conventions by insisting that these nations respect the human rights of those so desperate for access to Europe.