AYS Daily Digest 18/12/2020 — “Black Book of Pushbacks” published by BVMN and launched by the United Left in the European Parliament
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: European Union, Greece, Digest, Libya, Border Violence

AYS Daily Digest 18/12/2020 — “Black Book of Pushbacks” published by BVMN and launched by the United Left in the European Parliament

Shipwrecks and rescues in Greece and Spain // Germany to restart deportations to Afghanistan // Violence against migrants and activists in Serbia and Bosnia // and more… Are You Syrious? Follow Dec 19, 2020 · 12 min read

Today Border Violence Monitoring Network has released the ‘Black Book of Pushbacks’. This 1,500-page publication, in two volumes, has been compiled by the Border Violence Monitoring Network and it exposes in detail the illegal practice of violent pushbacks of migrants which have been taking place over many months at the EU’s external borders — with full impunity.

The book collects testimonies and stories about the the horrific violence suffered by over 12,000 people at the hands of EU border authorities against people migrating or seeking asylum. It brings the voices of the victims to the European institutions as well as governments, and it aims to hold them accountable for the tortures, the inhumane and degrading treatment, and the violation of the right to life that people seeking safety in the European Union are faced with.

The ‘Black Book’ includes:

– 892 group testimonies detailing the experiences of 12,654 people;

– the violence many endured in Italy, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia and Hungary along the so-called ‘Balkan route’, including maps, data, photos and other key information;

– the types of suffering and violence perpetrated by border agents, member state police forces, soldiers — even guard dogs;

– many of the incidents documented could be clearly described as sadistic, merciless, humiliating and degrading.

Fifteen organisations, including AYS, contributed to the book effort through collected testimonies as well as visuals and maps published in the book. It is made in collaboration with the United Left (GUE/NGL) block of the European Parliament, that is why you can see it being presented by MEPs Miguel Urbán and Malin Björk.

MEPs Malin Björk and Miguel Urbán Crespo presenting the Book to Commissioner Ylva Johansson in Brussels

According to Hope Barker, BVMN spokesperson :

“This book brings together four years of work by BVMN, collecting nearly 900 testimonies of violent pushbacks at European borders. Although these accusations are met with denial from the perpetrating countries, what we provide within these pages is an analysis of patterns and photo evidence that reveal an ongoing systematic practice. And these are just the stories that the Network has managed to record, the reality is much wider and more far-reaching.

Khalid from Eritrea, who himself experienced numerous pushbacks including from Slovenia, delivered the Black Book of Pushbacks to the Ombudsperson’s office in Ljubljana, where he was received by the deputy Ombudsperson. Khalid, who escaped slavery in Eritrea, has been denied asylum (waiting for an appeal) on the grounds that “there are NO REPORTS” regarding the conditions in Eritrea, so Slovenia cannot say for sure if he is eligible for asylum.