Activists and journalists worldwide have criticized the Swedish government for its failure to find Sajid Baloch. The exiled journalist, who reported on Pakistan's human rights violations, had sought asylum in Sweden.
Mass returns of Afghan migrants from Iran have led to concerns about increased transmission rates of the coronavirus disease in Afghanistan. On Wednesday, Iran reported 17,361 confirmed cases of the virus. At the same time, Afghans have continued to flee back to their home country in record numbers.
The number of migrant and refugee arrivals in European states has gone down considerably since 2015. This however does not mean that migration attempts to Europe have gone down at the same time. A Pakistani migrant’s account of his journey sheds light on how irregular migration routes and people smuggling are still very much alive in 2020.
Italian authorities have reported six Pakistani citizens in Italy accused of exploiting at least 70 workers, who were given meager wages and forced to work in unseemly conditions to deliver advertising materials door to door.
The chief of the United Nations has urged the world to "step up" and match Pakistan‘s compassion for Afghan refugees. Pakistan has hosted Afghan refugees for 40 years and is the world‘s second-largest refugee-hosting country.
According to estimates by the Pakistani authorities, some 30,000 to 40,000 people from Pakistan attempt illegal passage to Europe via Iran and Turkey every year. InfoMigrants spoke to an expert to find out which factors lead to this trend.
Seven migrants were killed in eastern Turkey after their boat sank in Lake Van, according to the official Anadolu news agency. Turkish authorities meanwhile said that they rescued 64 people.
In Afghanistan, persecution of women forced into abusive marriages is a daily reality. A few manage to escape, and seek protection in Europe. One young woman was recently given refugee status in Belgium because her family had threatened to harm her. Her ‘crime’?: Falling in love.
Border restrictions or not, human smuggling from Greece to Western Europe is still happening. InfoMigrants' reporters were recently in the Greek capital to investigate. This is their account.
Pakistani migrant Naseer Ahmed lives at the Moria Refugee Camp on the Greek island of Lesbos in a makeshift tent. He has Hepatitis C but is not permitted to travel to Athens to receive treatment. We talked to him in early October.
Libya's coast guard rescued 71 migrants stuck at sea over the weekend. While none of them were hurt, some required medical attention upon their return to Libya, according to reports. The migrants have reportedly since left the care of Libyan authorities.
The Italian Interior Ministry advised that a total of 1,200 migrants had arrived by sea in September to date. Meanwhile, arrivals by small boat continue unabated, in particular on the islands of Lampedusa and Sardinia.