The UK government's first flight with asylum seekers destined for Rwanda was grounded by a European court ruling. But Britain and Rwanda say they are undeterred. So what next? InfoMigrants sets out a series of questions and answers:
Opposition from organizations and individuals, against the UK government plan to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda to have their claims processed there, has increased once more this week. Two charities applied for an injunction at court; hundreds sent letters, and the LGBTQ migrant community spoke out about their fears of facing mistreatment in Rwanda.
A Spanish court has granted a little girl, born on a migrant boat in 2018, Spanish nationality, in a first in the country. Until now, the little girl had been stateless and could not access healthcare or education.
Seven Italian and Chinese citizens, including two lawyers, are under investigation in the northeastern Veneto region on charges of criminal association to favor illegal immigration. Investigators accuse the suspects of offering fake jobs, in return for money, so migrants could apply for stay permits in Italy.
After four years, Eritrean priest Mussie Zerai has been cleared of all charges related to aiding illegal immigration in the southern Italian city of Trapani. An activist involved for years in providing humanitarian aid to refugees, Zerai was a Nobel Peace Prize nominee in 2015.
Much of the information for asylum seekers and refugees in Greece is only available in Greek. On top of that, they are expected to know the meaning of a lot of abbreviations and acronyms. Here are a few of the most important terms to know.
French bureaucracy is notoriously complex, especially if the information is only available in French. This can make things difficult for migrants who have to learn what a lot of acronyms mean when they arrive. Here are a few of the most important terms to know.
Solidarity is not a crime, according to a sentence of the supreme Cassation court which has cleared four Eritrean citizens of aiding and abetting illegal immigration. A court of first instance and an appeals court had previously convicted them of "favoring illegal immigration" as part of a criminal organization for helping other Eritrean migrants who had arrived in Italy, their lawyers said.
Frontex is losing credibility following further allegations it was involved in pushbacks. Now, the private sea rescue organization Sea-Watch is alleging that the European border agency is implicated in so-called pullbacks near Malta as well, launching legal proceedings at the EU Court in Luxembourg.
The Lebanese government has demanded an investigation into an incident in the night between Saturday and Sunday (April 24-25) in which at least six migrants drowned off the coast of Tripoli. Some survivors have said that the military cutter voluntarily rammed into the migrant vessel.
The president of Rome-based migrant aid association "Baobab Experience", Andrea Costa, told reporters that he risks a sentence of 18 years in jail on charges of favoring illegal immigration. A court of first instance in Rome is scheduled to rule on the case on May 3.
A doctor who carried out an inspection aboard the Open Arms in August 2019 has testified in court. Former Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini is currently facing kidnapping charges over refusing to let the rescue ship disembark in Italy.