11. Mai 2017. Die Baracken in Belgrad werden geräumt und wieder verschwindet ein sichtbarer Ort der Migration von der Bildfläche. Ein Bericht über die Proteste in Serbien und Ungarn und die Räumung der Baracken, der gleichmaßen Analyse und Rückblick ist, geschrieben vom Feministischen Kollektiv.
A detailed article written by Allessandra Sciurba, a post-doc researcher and activist from the University of Palermo.
“As in the game where, when music stops, you must sit faster that other participants”, Commissioner Cucić tells me, “in this moment, we are the one left standing. Tomorrow it can be another one, if we also close the borders”. It seems that at the present juncture, the Serbian authorities are asking themselves first and foremost how the European Union wants Serbia to act. Are the standards to join EU based on the respect of human rights, or simply on the length and efficacy of border fences?
Everyone, in Serbia, seems now to be waiting for something.”
On 23rd January, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) presented the new strategy in response to the situation with the migrants and refugees in Serbia at a press conference at Belgrade’s Media Centre.
The strategy is part of the wider plan (Regional refugee and migrant response plan – RMRP), which covers the period from January to December 2017on the regional level, and which was presented by the UNHCR and IOM in Geneva on 19th January, 2017. In line with the plans of the Government of Serbia, 16 NGOs and eight United Nations organizations that have participated in the drafting of the strategy proposed humanitarian and development aid worth a total of over 39 million US dollars. So far, the donors have generously contributed to a figure of close to 2.7 million USD in 2017 to fund the UNHCR’s activities in Serbia.
Since the 15th of July, the day that prime minister Aleksandar Vučić held a speech [1] about the problems Serbia is facing at the moment, the situation in Serbia for people on the move has become more and more tense. The speech was an awaited response to the legal changes made in Hungary on July 5th (“8 kilometer” push-back law [2]) which set a legal frame for the Hungarian authorities to push back thousands of people to Serbian territory.
Among other points, Vučić mentioned in his speech that migrants are one of the biggest problems Serbia is facing at this time and that more repressive measures will be taken in order to gain control over the irregular movement of people. One of the measures put into practice has been a “joint venture” of police and military in order to guard the southern borders towards Macedonia and Bulgaria. As of August 30, 4,428 people have been kept from entering Serbia by military and police units, while within the same operation 673 who were encountered on Serbian territory have been brought to official reception centers[3]. The military officials don’t use the word ‘push-back’ or mention any direct contact with the groups, rather they state that people “gave up” when they saw the Serbian forces. Thereby, Serbia maintains its humanitarian vocabulary used to distinguish itself from other Balkan countries like Hungary and Macedonia who boast with numbers of people they successfully pushed back. Which methods were used to deter people and why these 4,428 people did not apply for asylum in Serbia but instead went back is not mentioned. Probably the mere sight of a police officer is not enough to stop people from moving on, yet their stories and voices remain silent and invisible.
On the one hand, this increasingly repressive policy changes can be seen as a national answer to the reality that was created by the northern neighbour Hungary and to the fact that from one day to the other people got stuck in Serbia with no option to move on. On the other hand, these changes can also be seen in the frame of a European Border Regime that consists of more than just the legal closure of European borders. This will be elaborated in the following.
Continue reading Recent Repression on People on the Move in Serbia
25.08.2016 | AreYouSyrious?
Number of refugees arriving to Serbia increases every day. All of them are passing through the Balkan Route, being exploited by smugglers, forced to hide from the police, humiliated, but full of hope to reach their final destination. Along the way they are met with many volunteers who are doing their best, despite numerous obstacles, to help those who are in need. Serbia is not final destination for most of the refugees, but facing closed borders they are forced to wait. AYS volunteers team gathered information about situation in Serbia, pointing towards some of the most urgent issues and problems refugees but also volunteers are facing daily.
30.08.2016 | BalkanInsight
Conditions for people on the move in the unofficial camps at the Hungarian border get worse with approaching colder periods. Still, people face long waiting periods and provided aid is insufficient. Officials expect people to stay in the country for longer time.
Als Reaktion auf die zunehmende Repression seitens staatlicher Behörden, haben Refugees aus Belgrad eine facebook Seite erstellt, auf der sie Gedanken, Proteste, Bilder und Informationen mit einer breiteren Öffentlichkeit teilen wollen. Um den Zugang für alle zu ermöglichen, wird von der Seite auf eine Gruppe verwiesen, der alle Menschen, die ein facebook Profil haben beitreten können.
Hier zur facebook Seite.
Die Situation für Menschen auf der Flucht in Serbien verschärft sich weiterhin. Da sich diese Woche der erste March of Hope jährt, wird wieder vermehrt über die Balkanroute berichtet. Hier daher eine Zusammenstellung von verschiedenen Berichten über Serbien/die Balkanroute im Allgemeinen, bzw. die Situation an den Grenzen und vor den Transitzonen im Speziellen.
Berichte über Serbien/die Balkanroute
Hier über die Situation in Serbien im Hinblick auf den kommenden Herbst/Winter weiterlesen. (Balkan Insight | En)
Hier ein Überblick über die Situation in Belgrad, Kelebija und Horgos. (Are You Syrious | En)
Hier ein kurzer Abriss über die Situation auf der Balkanroute von Griechenland bis Österreich (Zeit Online)
Berichte über die Situation vor den Transitzonen
Hier ein etwas ausführlicherer Bericht über Horgos (Spiegel Online).
Und hier ein weiterer Bericht (Zeit Online).
Berichte über die Grenzpatrouillen und Push-Backs Richtung Bulgarien und Mazedonien.
Seit etwas über einem Monat praktiziert Serbien ebenfalls verschärfte Grenzpatrouillen an den Südgrenzen zu Bulgarien und Mazedonien. Seit dem 22. Juli sind mehr als 5000 Menschen zurückgepusht worden. Im Gegensatz zur Serbisch-Ungarischen Grenze stehen die Südgrenzen nicht im Fokus der internationalen Aufmerksamkeit. Daher gibt es nur wenige Artikel, die die Situation abdecken.
Hier ein Bericht über die Grenzpatrouillen (RTS | Serbisch).
Hier ein Artikel über einen 20 Jährigen Mann aus Afghanistan, der an der Grenze zu Bulgarien erschossen wurde (DW | En).
Hier ein weiterer Artikel über den Todesfall (Balkan Insight | En).
16.08.2016 | b92
According to the newspaper b92, 2,275 people have been pushed back at the southern borders since July 22 as a consequence of the new joint venture of police and military at the southern borders to Bulgaria and Macedonia.
A couple of people who are living in the border zone set up a self-organized facebook page that is covering reports from people who are stuck at the Serbo-Hungarian border.
The page gives access to an insight perspective about the conditions of daily life and struggles inside the unofficial camps at the Hungarian border fence.