The Australian government is responsible for the deliberate and systematic torture of refugees on Nauru and should be held accountable under international law, according to a major new report informed by unprecedented access to the secretive island. Amnesty International said it had interviewed 62 refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru, and more than a dozen …
Swedish asylum center burns down in arson attack
A Swedish asylum center burned down overnight in a suspected attack by arsonists, police said on Friday, the second incident of its kind in a week in the Stockholm region. Staff alerted police in the early hours of Friday after hearing noises and seeing lights outside the building, Stockholm police spokesman Kjell Lindgren said. A …
Read the full post →“Swedish asylum center burns down in arson attack”
Calais refugee children in UK subjected to ‘unethical’ dental test to verify age
The age of child refugees being brought to the United Kingdom from the Calais Jungle camp in northern France, has got considerable attention from the British media suggesting that those arriving in Britain on Monday may not be under 18. An anti-humanitarian reaction has come from a Conservative deputy, David Davis calling for child refugees …
On Greek islands, children of war hungry for school
Standing with a group of children outside a refugee camp on the Greek island of Chios, little Roza can’t wait to get an early start to her day. “Good school, good school!” she beams, her backpack on and pigtails bobbing. Roza, a Syrian Kurd, is one of a small group of children in Greece’s island …
Read the full post →“On Greek islands, children of war hungry for school”
Dozens of refugees protest conditions in Madrid detention center
Dozens of refugees held in a detention center in Madrid have protested, climbing on the building’s roof, a spokesperson for the city’s mayor said. “We don’t know the exact number, 30 or 40. They climbed onto the roof and the police are there attempting to negotiate,” the spokesperson for Madrid mayor Manuela Carmena said Wednesday, …
Read the full post →“Dozens of refugees protest conditions in Madrid detention center”
Calais camp children arrive in UK, concerns raised over ages of 14 child refugees
Fourteen “teenagers” on Monday arrived in the UK from Calais as a fast-track system was launched to transfer youngsters from the “Jungle” camp before it is demolished. The Home Office insisted it had “verified” the ages of all the refugees and that all of those who were brought to the UK were aged between 14 …
French police accused of ‘stealing phones and shoes of refugees to stop them leaving Calais Jungle’
French police have been stripping refugees and migrants of their shoes and forcing them to walk in bare feet to deter them from venturing outside the Calais Jungle, The Independent has learned. Refugees failing to comply with officers’ demands have then felt they were being threatened by police officers with force, it has been alleged. …
German AfD leader compares migrants to compost
Politicians across Germany’s political spectrum condemned the leader of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after she was reported comparing societies including migrants to compost heaps. Frauke Petry, whose party has made big regional gains this year and is expected to win federal parliamentary seats next year, made the comments in a speech in …
Read the full post →“German AfD leader compares migrants to compost”
Hungary voters reject EU migrant-resettlement plan, but low turnout invalidates results
Hungarians voted Sunday to reject a European Union refugee resettlement plan, but failed to turn out in sufficient numbers to make the referendum legally binding. Voter turnout was 43.7%, according to data published on the Hungarian National Election Office website, short of the 50% participation required to make the referendum valid under Hungarian law. Under …
Louisiana law prevents legal immigrants from marrying
A Louisiana law that went into effect on Jan.1 has made it difficult for legal immigrants to get married in the state. Marriage license laws in Louisiana prohibit anyone from obtaining a marriage license without a birth certificate or valid international ID or passport, according to WDSU. At the time the bills were proposed, they …
Read the full post →“Louisiana law prevents legal immigrants from marrying”
