Summary and analysis of pushbacks and internal violence documented by BVMN during the month of October.
In November the Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN) shared 34 testimonies of pushbacks impacting 1,289 people-on-the-move across the Balkans. This report brings together first-hand accounts from a range of countries in the region to look at the way European Union states and other actors are affecting systemic violence towards people crossing borders.
BVMN is a network of watchdog organisations active in the Balkans, Greece, and Turkey including No Name Kitchen, Rigardu, Are You Syrious, Mobile Info Team, Disinfaux Collective, Josoor, ports Sarajevo, InfoKolpa, Centre for Peace Studies, Mare Liberum, Collective Aid and Fresh Response. Combining insights from these different members, the report analyses among other things:
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- Pushbacks across the Korana River
- Abuse in Croatian Police Vehicles
- ECHR ruling on the case of Madina Hussiny
- Ongoing violence in the port of Patras
This report also explores several key developments in Greece, including increasing restrictions to accessing asylum and other support services through the termination of the Skype pre-registration system, restrictions on mobility in the new camp on Samos, and ongoing issues with the cash assistance program. It covers recent police raids in informal settlements as well as official accommodation centers in 8 different Serbian municipalities, where the authorities claimed to be searching for “irregular migrants and members of organized criminal groups involved in their smuggling”. A final section covers updates from Italy, including a decrease in arrivals in Trieste.
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