In April, the Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN) reported on 42 pushbacks, impacting 1125 people-on-the-move at borders across the Balkans. This report brings together the latest first hand testimony and data on these incidents, highlighting the violent methods used by police across the EU external border. The report also looks at the involvement of other actors in violence at borders and interiors, such as right wing groups.
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, IPSIA, Disinfaux Collective, InfoKolpa, Centre for Peace Studies, Re:ports Sarajevo, Mare Liberum, Collective Aid and Fresh Response.
This report analyses among other things:
- Court ruling for Madina Hussiny’s family
- Translation and linguistic violence in pushbacks
- Border sites used in Albanian & Romanian removals
- Cycle of pushback violence in Evros region
- Right wing delegations and harrasment of squats
Read the full report to find out more on these topics and other developments in April, including the expansion of surveillance in Greek camps, the closure of Kara Tepe, large pushbacks from Samos, and the COVID-19 conditions in camps in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Together, these updates offer a grim insight into the way transit, reception and removals are being structured violently against people-on-the-move in the Balkans.
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