This report gathers updates from the month of April and brings together first-hand testimonies from a range of countries in the Balkans, Turkey, Cyprus and France to look at the way European Union states and other actors are affecting systemic violence towards people crossing borders. Updates come from the different Member Organisations of BVMN, as well as Human Rights Observers (France) and our partners in Turkey. It also includes general insights from advocacy actions taken by members of the network and other allied organisations.

BVMN is a network of watchdog organisations active in the Balkans, Greece and France including Rigardu, Are You Syrious, Mobile Info Team, InfoKolpa, Collective Aid, Blindspots, Pushback Alarmphone Austria, I Have Rights, PIC, Center for Legal Aid – Voice in Bulgaria and Mission Wings. Combining insights from these different members and other partners, this month’s report covers, among other things:

– Updates on the situation in the camps in Serbia

– Analysis of violence testimonies collected in Thessaloniki

– Overview of pushbacks in the Aegean

– The European Court of Human Rights once again condemns Greece for inflicting inhuman and degrading treatments to asylum seekers on Samos

– Hunger strike in the Antalya Removal Center

– EU-Lebanon Deal

– Continued evictions in Northern France

– BVMN presents evidence in the LIBE Committee