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rightsinexile · 6 years ago

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July 2018

Issue 94, July 2018

ISSN 2049-2650

Editorial Team: Catherine Tyson, Natsumi Paxton, Nejla Sammakia, Mohamed ElSayeh, Kavita Kapur, Joshua Lowe, Christian Jorgensen, Cristina de Nicolas, Nicolas Parent, and Taylor Brooks.

Chief Editor: Themba Lewis

Web links are in blue.

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In this issue:

Articles

The Guardian publishes the full UNITED List of 34,361 refugee deaths on 20 June 2018, World Refugee Day

EC Migration Agreement: European Council conclusions, 28 June 2018

News

News on Countries of Origin

News on Countries of Asylum

Detention and Deportation News

Statelessness

New academic research centre dedicated to statelessness

Statelessness, discrimination, and marginalisation of Roma in Albania

Short Pieces

Palestinian refugees and the right of return in international law

Why domestic abuse and anti-gay violence qualify as persecution in asylum law

Highlight: changing US asylum response

House bills would largely dismantle asylum system at U.S.-Mexico border

Trump Executive Order fails to end abuses at U.S. border

USCIS takes down 26 PDFs for training asylum officers from its website

US immigration court backlog jumps while case processing slows

Former United States Immigration Judges and Board Members respond to Attorney General’s intervention against asylum seekers fleeing domestic violence

The health of the refugees on strike in danger because of the punitive approach of the Minister

EuroMed Rights General Assembly: 80 human rights organisations from the Mediterranean region gather in Brussels

Access to asylum and detention at France’s borders: ECRE published mission report

Victory for asylum seekers in South Africa as Constitutional Court rules on extension of temporary permits

The Illegal Economy of Refugee Registration: Insights into the Ugandan Refugee Scandal #PublicAuthority

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights press briefing note on Algeria and Libya

New CAP brief sheds light on why people continue to flee Latin America

Netherlands: National authorities failed to investigate if applicant would have access to psychological care in Belgium in practice

Austria: Supreme Administrative Court upholds exclusion from refugee status of asylum applicant who was convicted of child sexual abuse

France: Government continues to clear migrant camps in Paris

UNHCR and UNDP sign MoU with Myanmar to repatriate Rohingya refugees

The International Crisis Group releases its May 2018 overview

Transformative participation is essential for refugee children’s involvement in Uganda’s development

Thailand: Ensure refugee rights and protections through refugee legislation (Joint statement by Fortify Rights, APRRN and CRSP)

Turkey: Strengthening legal protection and access to justice

Niger sends Sudanese refugees back to Libya

Case Notes

How a legal challenge on Rohingya deportation could redefine the bounds of international justice

European Court of Human Rights communicates asylum-related cases regarding Romania, Croatia and the Netherlands

Opinion and Editorial

Asylum in Europe - Where do we go now?

Letters to the editors

Refugee children’s involvement in Uganda’s development

Newsletters

Global Detention Project June 2018 Newsletter

Global Detention Project May 2018 Newsletter

Migrant Rights Network Weekly Newsletter - 14 June 2018

Euromed Rights Recap - May 2018

Announcements

Conferences, courses, and workshops

Calls for papers

Grants and awards

Vacancies

Publications

#july 2018 #july #2018 #toc #contents #table of contents

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mindhunterlaw · 10 months ago

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MANDAMUS IN TAMIL - கட்டளை நீதிப்பேராணை | WHAT LAW SAYS | MIND HUNTER LAW #mandamus #order #writpetition #publicauthority #government #corporation

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orbemnews · 4 years ago

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7 people evaluated following chemical incident at Old Saybrook Walmart OLD SAYBROOK, CT (WFSB) — Fire crews were called to the Walmart in Old Saybrook for the report of an unknown odor within the building. It happened around 11:30 a.m. at the Boston Post Road store. The fire chief said the odor was coming from acid gas vapors emanating from overheated batteries in a floor scrubber. It led to 11 people who reported felling sick, but just seven being evaluated for minor irritants. Fire officials initially said they were taken to the hospital, but they later corrected that information. The floor scrubber was removed from the building and the batteries were expected to be disposed of by a contractor. The local health department responded to the scene to determine when the building could safely reopen. Copyright 2021 WFSB (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments); if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '471524917159477'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); Source link Orbem News #buildingindustry #call #chemical #chemicalspill #chemistry #commerce #device #evaluated #firechief #firecrew #Floor #healthdepartment #incident #odor #official #oldsaybrook #oldsaybrookct #People #postroad #publicauthority #Report #Saybrook #scrubber #socialservices #spill #store #Telecommunications #vapor #Walmart

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orbemnews · 4 years ago

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Large fire destroys building that houses Ga. county 911 center A fire on Saturday night destroyed the building that houses the 9-1-1 emergency services for a Georgia county. According to a Facebook post from the Jeff Davis County administrator, all the county ambulances as well as their 9-1-1 center is down. Emergency calls are being handled by nearby Appling, Bacon, and Coffee Counties. Governor Brian Kemp and his wife toured the damage at the center Sunday morning. According to Gov. Kemp, a mobile command center has been set up to bring services back online. Jeff Davis County is about 190 miles south of Atlanta. There are no reports on injuries and no word on what caused the blaze. My thanks to the local officials in surrounding counties who have stepped up to help. Thanks to them, 911 and ambulance services have been restored. Great collaboration between state, local, and regional partners! https://t.co/LUAYxeI8Lc — Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) January 31, 2021 Copyright 2021 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments); if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '1529187127265057'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); Source link Orbem News #Ambulance #bacon #brianp.kemp #Building #Center #commandcenter #County #destroys #Fire #Food #houses #jeffdaviscounty #Kemp #large #linguistics #ornithology #printing #publicauthority

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orbemnews · 4 years ago

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Ga. Officials try to stop vaccine seekers from other states COVID-19 vaccine shopping and vaccine tourism is becoming a problem and Georgia’s health officials tell us trying to crack down. This week, Shelby County Alabama couple Mark and Connie Wallace traveled for nearly two hours across state lines to Carroll County to get the vaccine at the Publix Pharmacy. “They knew that we were coming from out of state and they said that was fine.,” Connie Wallace told an Alabama reporter. “We didn’t want to feel like we were pushing out because that’s not what we wanted to do….I was so excited and very thankful to be able to get it,” she went on. While the couple is thankful, others locally are still waiting, and the District 4 health department has run out of vaccine appointments. CBS46’s Hayley Mason went to the Carroll County Health Department to ask why people who live out of state couple were approved. They directed CBS46 to call their district office—the lines were busy. The state health department then responded explaining “the vaccine allocated to Georgia is for Georgia residents, with some limited exceptions” like if the person lives in a neighboring state but works here and is vaccinated through work. For the Alabama couple, the Georgia health department says Publix will have to explain why the approval was made. Georgia’s Public Health Commissioner said when she learned of a vaccine tourism in Georgia she jumped into action to stop the trend “I was flabbergasted. I said no you can’t don’t you dare,” said Dr. Kathleen Toomey after learning of a possible caravan of people coming to Atlanta from Pennsylvania to get the vaccine. “I’ve since told all of our providers that this vaccine is for residents of Georgia and you have to say no you can’t vaccinate here with the exception of those who may be out of state, but work here,” Dr. Toomey said at a Thursday press conference. “When I became aware of that we jumped on that right away and got the word out to providers as well as our public health departments and since tried to stay on top of that,” Dr. Toomey said. CBS46 asked Governor Kemp’s office if they plan to implement an in-state residence requirement to get the vaccine . The Governor’s communications director told Mason, “The “Governor would rely on Dr. Toomey’s advice before making that determination. Copyright 2021 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments); if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '1529187127265057'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); Source link #cbs46 #conniewallace #covidvaccine #hayleymason #healthdepartment #healthofficial #immunology #institutes #kathleentoomey #Medicine #Officials #Politics #publicauthority #seekers #States #Stop #Vaccine #vaccineshopping #vaccinetourism #Work

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rightsinexile · 6 years ago

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The Illegal Economy of Refugee Registration: Insights into the Ugandan Refugee Scandal #PublicAuthority

The following short piece was originally published by Charles Ogeno and Ryan Joseph O’Byrne via the Africa at LSE blog portal. It is reprinted here with permission.

This article is part of the #PublicAuthority blog series, part of the ESRC-funded Centre for Public Authority and International Development.

In early April 2017, we received reports that the South Sudanese town of Pajok, 25km north of Ugandan border, had been attacked. The following day, Charles’ friend Celcio gave him some details about what had happened.

“For the last few years the government neglected us and we have been in the hands of rebels. Now the government has launched an assault on Pajok in order to take it back from the rebels.” He felt the gross injustice of this: “It is not a big deal for us if Pajok is with government or rebels so long as they protect civilians.” The rebels had harassed and forcibly conscripted civilians. The Government on the other hand had committed a massacre. In a later conversation with Charles’ cousin Anek, she said “the government came and attacked the community, destroyed our properties, our loved ones have been killed. Women have been raped… [and] when they find a man, they kill straight away.”After the attack, many people fled to Uganda, arriving at the border town of Ngomoromo. Another cousin, Ayari, praised the Uganda People Defence Forces (UPDF) for their understanding and fair treatment. She said: “the UPDF speaks well with us; they know how to handle civilians”.

As Western countries make it increasingly hard for refugees to cross their borders, Uganda has become well-regarded for its inclusive refugee policies. Once registered, refugees are given land for settlement and cultivation. They have freedom of movement throughout the country and are allowed to work, meaning they can earn a legitimate income.

There have been many reports about Ugandans’ warm welcome for South Sudanese fleeing violence, which may result from memories of being refugees themselves. Furthermore, refugee resettlement opens up new economic opportunities: when you compare Bweyale, the town closest to Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, with Kiryandongo Town, the District Headquarters, there is a huge difference. The refugee settlement provides a ready market, making Bweyale a bustling centre with numerous economic activities. Kiryandongo on the other hand is less busy with relatively little economic activity.

Although refugees are welcomed because of the economic opportunities, infrastructure, and services provided to areas where they resettle, the amount of support they receive can generate envy, a feeling heightened by what is considered as inequality in resource distribution. With the conflict in South Sudan showing no signs of concluding, the high influx of refugees over the last two years has shifted the attitudes of locals who not only see refugees as having privileged access to food and land but feeling that the long-term costs of hosting refugees may outweigh any short term benefits.

It is within this context that the current Ugandan refugee scandal takes place: officials of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) as well as the UN are charged with numerous illegal or immoral accusations, including: suspicions of inflating refugee numbers so staff can pocket extra money and other resources; a widespread abuse of food, funds, and other resources destined for refugee settlements; and the ‘trafficking’ of female refugees into undesired ‘marriages’.

Such accounts are not new, and a number of Ugandans have been trying to register as South Sudanese refugees since at least early 2017. Charles discovered evidence of this himself when talking to some young Ugandans in a Kiryandongo bar in February 2017, and Okongo (28) and Ojeke (26) both said they and others were looking for ways to get the money needed to register as refugees and enable their resettlement in the West. Indeed, even in late 2016 we had heard rumours from our connections among South Sudanese in Uganda that refugee registration had become substantially and prohibitively monetarised. These accounts not only spoke of Ugandans trying to buy themselves refugee status – a transaction said to require approximately 500,000 Ugandan schillings (USD $140 or GBP £100) – but narrated that Ugandan government workers and UNHCR staff in some of the larger camps were routinely blackmailing refugees desperate to register. As the following examples from Bweyale in early 2017 show, at Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, at least, such practices had become increasingly standard:

One woman explained that “Registration is a very difficult exercise for us. At reception, they asked for money from us in order to register. My registration form was thrown away because I had no money to bribe the registrar. I was told I would have to re-register – I regretted coming here”.

A 36-year-old man who heads an extended family of 20 children (comprising eight biological children and 12 orphans) was asked how and when he registered as a refugee. He said “I am not a registered refugee because to register I was asked to pay over UGX 1,000,000 as bribe to the registrars (USD $275 or GBP £195). I am struggling even to get food for these children, how can I get UGX 1,000,000 to bribe the registrar? And even if you bribe, you will not receive relief like the food ration. I know a family which paid UGX 350,000 (USD $95 or GBP £70) for only four family members but they are not even receiving relief services, so they are struggling to find something to eat just like us. So, if there is no relief, I see no reason to call myself a refugee. The UN should respect our rights! I took refuge here not because I wanted to but conditions in my country forced me”.

Because of these and similar activities, there are now refugees living in some settlements without legal refugee status. Some leave one settlement with the intention of reuniting with family in another, but this runs the risk of having their refugee status withdrawn on arrival at the second settlement and being told to return to the border to re-register, which is difficult and expensive. Worse yet are those previously-registered refugees who have had their registration documentation purposefully destroyed or removed, a seemingly not-uncommon practice when a poverty-stricken refugee family is unable to pay the money demanded from them.

These and similar stories demonstrate the veracity and significance of one of CPAID’s guiding principles: that public authority in fragile contexts does not always function solely via official or normative means, but rather involves multiple actors and institutions – both formal and informal – operating under their own logics and mechanisms concurrently with or alternate to more official channels. In the case of the current Ugandan refugee scandal, the same public authority institutions formally employed to promote human rights, good governance, and social justice are also those engaged in opportunistic social and economic exploitation, no matter how unofficially. Thus, in public authority situations such as this, we not only see how formal and informal mechanisms of governance can both play out through multiple alternate channels at the same time, but also how these varying governance forms can involve the same actors engaging in competing strategies simultaneously.

Given such a situation, the problem must be stated clearly:

Asking for money to enable refugee registration amounts to an illegal bribe which not only violates UNHCR best practice but should be seen as a human rights abuse.

We say this because the Geneva Convention not only emphasises that refugees have good reason to seek security, but further stipulates they should not be penalised for entering a country. Therefore, asking for money to register a refugee not only penalises that refugee – many of whom flee their country of origin with no money or goods – but also undermines international refugee law. Moreover, having inaccurate data makes refugee-related planning and operation extremely difficult for both UNHCR and the Ugandan government, further exacerbating the very problems which underlie the current Ugandan refugee scandal. For example, case studies like those above make it very difficult to accept Uganda’s refugee population figure, a major factor in donors’ calls for investigation into the Ugandan refugee situation. The fact is, many people can manipulate the registration process for their own benefit. In Uganda, however, it seems that despite negative discourses to the contrary, in Uganda it seems that it is humanitarian and government workers rather than refugees who are most grossly manipulating the registration process for their own enrichment. In doing so, they have not only breached their legal and ethical mandates to ensure refugee’s security and protection; they have also negatively impacted the views, opinions, and charity of donors and the international community, likely exacerbating the difficulties and tensions involved in managing the global refugee crisis.

#july #2018 #july 2018

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