During December 2020, the Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN) gathered 25 testimonies of pushbacks, impacting a total of 707 people-on-the-move. This rounds off a year of consistent and compelling evidence collected by BVMN, exposing the systematised use of pushbacks at the European Union external border. In this report, updates cover a variety of violations including pushback practices, internal violence and the crisis around winterised shelter.
As a network comprised of grassroots organisations active in Greece and the Western Balkans, this report was produced via a joint-effort between Are You Syrious, Mobile Info Team, No Name Kitchen, Rigardu, Josoor, Disinfaux Collective, InfoKolpa, Centre for Peace Studies, Re:ports Sarajevo, Mare Liberum, Collective Aid and Fresh Response.
This report analyses among other things:
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- Tri-border pushbacks from Bulgaria to Turkey
- Expulsion of transit groups from Lesvos
- Fire pits used by the Croatian police
- The burning of camp Lipa in Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Legal proceedings against Croatia and Hungary
- Gateway removals near Idomeni
Read the full report to find out more about these, and further events from the region that occured in December. Other topics include an update from activists working with arrivals in Trieste, analysis of Greek Ministry of Asylum videos, coverage of right wing attacks in Thessaloniki and fires on Samos, and challenging transit conditions for people in Serbia as winter intensifies.
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