Libyan Coastguard in Deadly Clash With Suspected Smugglers
The Libyan coastguard exchanged fire with suspected migrant smugglers, leaving four suspects dead, a coastguard spokesman said.
Coastguards tried to stop a boat carrying gunmen near a migrant ship off the coast of the Libyan city of Zawiya, Ayoub Qassem told Reuters. The gunmen opened fire, and four were killed when the coastguard returned fire. Two other men were arrested and another is missing.
A German journalist who was aboard the coastguard vessel was slightly injured, the news agency reported.
The Libyan coastguard is receiving European Union funds and assistance to block the passage of migrant and refugee boats across the Mediterranean to Europe. Some elements of the coastguard have been accused of complicity in the abuse of migrants.
At least 1,350 people in 12 boats were rescued at sea off the coast of Libya on April 6 by the Italian coastguard and NGO ships. One person was found dead in the bottom of a rubber dinghy.
Oxfam Documents Pushbacks and Police Abuse Along Balkan Route
Oxfam has documented what it describes as a “disturbing pattern of brutality and abuse by law enforcement officials against migrants” along the western Balkan route.
The United Kingdom-headquartered charity’s report, “A Dangerous Game,” is based on interviews with 140 people in Serbia, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria and Macedonia, conducted by the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) and the Macedonian Young Lawyers Association (MYLA).
Migrants and refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Syria have described being beaten and abused by border officials and police and sent back over the border without being given a chance to apply for asylum.
The report said Hungarian police have forced people to strip naked and sit in the snow, before pouring cold water on them. In Croatia, border police also forced migrants to undress and walk over the border while beating them with batons.
“These cruel and unlawful actions do nothing to stop the journey of people seeking safety and dignity,” the BCHR’s Nikolina Milic said. “People tell us they have nothing to lose and will try to continue, however dangerous it may be.”
Majority of Germans Say Refugees Welcome
Some 59 percent of Germans say refugees are welcome in Germany, according to a survey by the Bertelsmann Foundation. The survey also asked Germans about immigration in general, and 70 percent of those surveyed said immigrants were welcome in their country.
However, 54 percent of those surveyed say that Germany cannot take in more refugees – an increase from 40 percent who gave the same answer in 2015.
They survey found that while 33 percent of residents of former East Germany said the country should welcome refugees “with open arms,” in the west that figure rose to 65 percent.
Recommended Reads:
- Enough Project: Border Control From Hell
- E.U. Observer: Letting People Drown Is Not An E.U. Value
- The Conversation: Why Jobs in Special Economic Zones Won’t Solve The Problems Facing the World’s Refugees
- The Guardian: Churches and Charities Fill Asylum Vacuum Left By ‘Lukewarm’ State
- ILO: Jobs Make the Difference