Border Violence Monitoring Network

Today we launch the #ProtectNotSurveil position paper on the #Europol reform: We demand the full rejection of this reform! Why? ❌ It fails in its purported objective to target smuggling networks, reduce border deaths, or protect migrants; 👁️ It constitutes a shadowy power grab by Europol with new mass surveillance powers; 🚨It further criminalises migrants and solidarity organisers. The result would be more dangerous routes and more discrimination of authorities against people on the move. The Europol reform is incoherent and harmful. The European Commission proposal would make people less safe and violate fundamental rights. We call upon the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to reject this Europol reform. 🛑 Find the full position paper here: ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/dy2EuViH

"Europol in the spotlight: One week from today we will publish the ⚘ #ProtectNotSurveil ⚘ position paper on the 👏👏👏 EU’s Europol reform!  In the week leading up to the publication, we take a closer look at Europol and uncover what the proposal truly means for migrants and solidarity organisers. ⚘ Who are we? ⚘ The Protect Not Surveil coalition challenges the use of digital technologies at different levels of EU policies and advocates for the ability of people to move and to seek safety and opportunity without risking harm, surveillance or discrimination. ⚘ What is the Europol reform? ⚘ On 28 November 2023, the European Commission published a legislative package. It includes  ▪️ a directive that would make it an EU-wide crime to facilitate entry, stay and transit on EU territory.  ▪️ a regulation that would increase budget and surveillance capabilities of Europol and  ▪️ an international alliance that would enrol third countries into the EU’s “anti-smuggling” regime. This proposal criminalises people on the move as well as solidarity organisers,putting lives at risk. The reform comes amid massive critique of Europol for its questionable and sometimes illicit practices, while receiving an ever increasing scope of budget and legal powers for surveillance by the agency. Unfortunately the European Commission’s proposals fuels oil to the fire. Follow us this week here and with the hashtag #ProtectNotSurveil for the full story."

Congratulations to Legal Centre Lesvos for the acquittal of their client A.H., on charges of unauthorised transfer of foreigners, causing a shipwreck, and disobedience. A.H., a Palestinian refugee from Gaza, had been criminalised for attempting to cross the EU border to seek asylum. As outlined by Legal Centre Lesvos, A.H.’s prosecution is emblematic of a broader pattern of the criminalisation of people on the move, and also sheds light on the egregious and systematic state violence exercised by the Hellenic Coast Guard. Read their full statement below.

🚨 Wave Thessaloniki, a member organisation of the Border Violence Monitoring Network has launched their 2025 Ramadan Fundraiser. Last #Ramadan their team raised €1,710 and served 4,378 meals, thanks to the generous donations of so many supporters. This year, they aim to raise €1,500 to help cover the rising costs of essential ingredients like dates, yogurt, meat and chicken. For more information on how to get involved, follow the link: https://lnkd.in/eV7c9HB9

📢 Today, Bosnia and Herzegovina will be reviewed under the United Nations Universal Periodic Review. Together with Collective Aid and the Global Detention Project, BVMN submitted a collaborative joint report to the United Nations presenting evidence of pushbacks, conditions in temporary reception facilities and the ill-treatment of people on the move who have been arrested or detained in Bosnia and Herzegovina for reasons related to their immigration status. We look forward to this evidence being utilized to critically examine the human rights record in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 📑 Read Our Submission: https://lnkd.in/eaYvFQ6A

Silence is Complicity: Our statement after more than one year of silence on the Israeli Genocide in Gaza/Palestine https://lnkd.in/g3eVyTwG

🚨 In the two most recent rulings related to pushback incidents (G.R.J. v. Greece and A.R.E. v. Greece), the European Court of Human Rights has confirmed that Greece systematically pushes people back at its borders. Evidence collected by BVMN and its members has been presented in various EU and UN forums, in order to work for the recognition of pushbacks as a defined human rights issue and a form of enforced disappearance. In part, these rulings are a success for all those who have been documenting and denouncing illegal pushbacks for years. The ruling in the case of G.R.J. vs. Greece, however, also represents a setback, as it establishes a troubling precedent for future legal challenges to pushback cases. Read our full statement: https://lnkd.in/g3ATAQmC

🚨We are now on Bluesky! Follow us at @borderviolence.bsky.social

📢 New Report Release 🚨Greece’s Digital Crackdown on Asylum Seekers: Phones Seized and Privacy Violated We have uncovered covert operations where phones of asylum seekers are forcibly removed by authorities. The report penned together with our member I Have Rights. adds to mounting concerns about the invasive use of technology on Samo’s Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC). Hot off the heels of condemnation at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for systematic pushbacks, Greece is facing fresh allegations of rights violations at its borders. Our newly published report, Controlled and Confined: Unveiling the Impact of Technology in the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre, reveals a troubling contradiction: while local police deny phone seizures, Frontex’s Fundamental Rights Office has confirmed the practice in confidential operational plans. These findings are backed up by an Solomon investigation published last week. Key Findings from the Report: 🔴 Based on 59 interviews with asylum seekers and 7 CCAC workers, the report highlights how surveillance technology, including drones, CCTV, AI systems, and biometric scans, creates a prison-like environment. 🔴 More than half of those interviewed expressed fears about their privacy being invaded, with many worried that phone removal could negatively impact their asylum claims. 🔴 “It tortures your mind. Maybe I’ll be sent back to Turkey or my country,” shared one asylum seeker. Since its opening in 2021, the Samos CCAC has faced criticism from international and national bodies, including the Hellenic Data Protection Authority, which fined the Greek Ministry of Migration for data protection violations in 2024. Despite this, invasive practices persist. The report is the result of a year-long collaborative research project between I Have Rights and the Border Violence Monitoring Network, supported by the Digital Freedom Fund. Visit our website to read the full report! https://lnkd.in/ddC_g4Qf

📢 New Report Release: We are excited to announce the publication of our collaborative Trial Monitoring Report with @European Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH), Feminist Autonomous Centre for research (FAC) and Legal Centre Lesvos (LCL), on the appeal trial of Homayoun Sabetara. This report results from: 🔹 Legal research 🔹 Court hearings monitoring 🔹 Exchanges with defence lawyers and other actors Key concerns raised in the report include violations of: 🔴 National and international fair trial standards 🔴 Access to interpretation 🔴 Right to cross-examination 🔴 Right to a decision in due time 🔴 Systemic criminalisation of people on the move 📖 Access the full report here: https://lnkd.in/dk6pAxZ5