By using ECSS site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
ECSS - Egyptian Center for Strategic StudiesECSS - Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies
  • Home
  • International Relations
    International Relations
    Show More
    Top News
    Varied paths of reform in Africa
    March 22, 2019
    Two years on Stockholm: Yemen between comprehensive settlement and conflict management
    December 31, 2020
    A Test of Strength: The Relationship between the Iraqi state and the Popular Mobilization Forces Following Qasim Muslih’s Release
    August 26, 2021
    Latest News
    The India-Middle East-Europe Corridor: Political Drivers and Challenges
    September 25, 2023
    BRICS Plus and Africa: Challenges and Mutual Gains
    September 21, 2023
    Enhancing Readiness: Germany Leads NATO Exercises in the Baltic Sea
    September 19, 2023
    Breaking Isolation: Sudan Following Al-Burhan’s Tours and Hemedti’s Initiative
    September 14, 2023
  • Defense & Security
    Defense & Security
    Show More
    Top News
    On deradicalisation: Marc Sageman and the psychology of jihadists
    June 22, 2020
    Coping with Challenges:
    ISIS from Operation Kayla Mueller to the Syria Earthquake
    March 4, 2023
    The Brotherhood’s networks in Britain: Encompassing and infiltrating society
    May 22, 2021
    Latest News
    Explaining the Rise of Daesh in Syria
    August 26, 2023
    Clashes in Tripoli: Do Rapid Developments in Libya Clash with the Road Map?
    August 22, 2023
    Ukraine’s Special Operation: A Stopgap
    August 1, 2023
    Why are Terrorist Organizations Increasingly Relying on Economic Jihad?
    July 27, 2023
  • Public Policy
    Public Policy
    Show More
    Top News
    Egypt’s Comprehensive Vision for Human Rights
    June 22, 2020
    Sustaining Momentum: Egypt’s Strategy to Boost Water Security
    September 9, 2021
    The Dark Side: The Impact of Climate Change on Women
    July 7, 2022
    Latest News
    Goals and Mechanisms: Integrating the Informal Economy into the Formal Economy
    September 23, 2023
    Playing the Pressure Card: The Ramifications of Boosting US-Taiwan Economic Relations for China
    September 17, 2023
    Egypt’s Long-Term Debt Rating Upgraded to Stable
    September 10, 2023
    Whither Inflation Rates in Egypt?
    August 24, 2023
  • Analysis
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Situation Assessment
    • Readings
  • Activities
    • Conferences
    • ECSS Agenda
    • Panel Discussion
    • Seminar
    • Workshops
  • ECSS Library
    • Digital Editions
    • Periodicals
    • Special Editions
  • Shop
  • العربية
  • Advertise
All Rights Reserved to ECSS © 2022,
Reading: The EU’s Black Book of rights’ violations
Share
Notification Show More
Latest News
The India-Middle East-Europe Corridor: Political Drivers and Challenges
Arab & Regional Studies
Goals and Mechanisms: Integrating the Informal Economy into the Formal Economy
Economic & Energy Studies
BRICS Plus and Africa: Challenges and Mutual Gains
African Studies
Fifty Years On: The Realities of the October War (2)
Opinion
Enhancing Readiness: Germany Leads NATO Exercises in the Baltic Sea
European Studies
Aa
ECSS - Egyptian Center for Strategic StudiesECSS - Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies
Aa
  • اللغة العربية
  • International Relations
  • Defense & Security
  • Special Edition
  • Public Policy
  • Analysis
  • Activities & Events
  • Home
  • اللغة العربية
  • Categories
    • International Relations
    • Defense & Security
    • Public Policy
    • Analysis
    • Special Edition
    • Activities & Events
    • Opinions Articles
  • Bookmarks
Follow US
  • Advertise
All Rights Reserved to ECSS © 2022, Powered by EgyptYo Business Services.
Opinions Articles

The EU’s Black Book of rights’ violations

Khaled Okasha
Last updated: 2020/12/27 at 11:56 AM
Khaled Okasha
Share
8 Min Read
SHARE

The European Parliament issued a resolution on the situation of human rights in Egypt on 18 December 2020, which is the International Migrants Day. Ironically, the resolution coincided with the presentation of “The Black Book of Pushbacks”, compiled by the Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN), which includes dozens of non-governmental organizations and associations, at the European Union (EU) headquarters. 

The 1500-page Black Book documents the horrific violence suffered by over 12,500 people at the hands of authorities on the EU’s external borders, and the grave violations of migrants’ rights in EU countries, taking place since 2017 in conjunction with the tragedy of refugees and migrants who escaped conflict zones searching for refuge that may provide them with the minimum level of protection to find themselves falling prey to these violations, practiced and hidden from the eyes of media and observers by EU countries.

International human rights organizations have overlooked these violations, considering migrants as the weakest point that are not worthy of the hype. Moreover, discussing the situation of migrants might bring certain questions to the limelight such as, who caused their exodus from their countries, what are their motives to seek refuge, and what is the political horizon of the crises of their countries? All these aspects of the crisis will be like destructive flames in EU countries in the event of searching for real, honest answers to them.

The BVMN is an independent network of NGOs and associations based mainly in the Balkan regions and in Greece that monitors human rights violations at the external borders of the EU and advocates halting violence against people moving in and between EU countries.

Since it was founded in 2016, BVMN became aware of the existence of violent pushbacks of asylum seekers along the Balkans and Greece and began to document such cases. The network has developed a common framework for documenting testimonies and evidence of violations which, after going through a process of fact-checking, are published on the BVMN website. These case reports include hard facts, pictures of the injuries and medical documents that provide evidence as well as detailed descriptions of the incidences.

BVMN publishes monthly reports covering pushbacks along the Greek and Balkan route. Every report analyzes in detail pushbacks in specific geographical areas, escalation of violence, excessive use of forces, cases of alleged torture and other key issues. 

The testimonies and reports serve as a basis for the network’s advocacy effort at the European level, where BVMN has been engaging in the past years in meetings with European Parliamentarians, in order to denounce the violations of human rights at the borders and promote a better management of migration flows, in the total respect of human rights.

The Black Book is not the first of its kind in this context. It was preceded by dozens of reports and testimonies on the same subject. However, its shocking title prompted members of parliament to take note of this huge amount of documents and testimonies. 

German MEP Cornelia Ernst said the legislators had been “very shocked by the endless accounts of merciless, sadistic and degrading violence that are reminiscent of brutal dictatorships.” She noted that the Black Book “sheds some much-needed light on this dark chapter of the EU,” adding that “Our hope is that it will contribute to bringing an end to the crimes, and to holding accountable the governments that are responsible.” 

The report’s authors, Hope Barker and Milena Zajovic, explained that the pushbacks covered by the network were just part of a much broader, systematic phenomenon that is still denied and often neglected by the European Border Monitoring Agency, FRONTEX.

The report also relied on and documented about 900 audio and video testimonies of people who had been beaten, robbed, or had their personal belongings damaged, and were attacked by dogs on the EU border. The report also denounces the use of tasers against migrants, the practice of forcing asylum-seekers to undress, and detaining people in structures that lack the most basic amenities, in a pattern that recalls the images of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq at the time of the US invasion.

The Black Book was handed over by the BVWN to Ylva Johansson, the European commissioner for home affairs, on Friday, setting out accusations to EU member states such as Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Greece and Croatia, as well as other Balkan countries not members of the European Union, such as Serbia and Bosnia. 

The report contains a wealth of evidence of violations. It analyzes in detail the way in which atrocities have been carried out. In addition, it calls for ending impunity and renewing commitment to accountability, especially since the authorities of EU member states have long ignored such human rights violations that are inconsistent with the founding principles of the EU and related international obligations.

Compiled by BVMN and printed over two volumes, available on BVMN website, the ‘Black Book of Pushbacks’ is a collection of hundreds of testimonies of migrants that were recorded directly by BVMN. 

Despite the fact that the Black Book includes 892 group testimonies detailing the experiences of 12,654 people, including maps, data, photos and other key information, the BVMN believes the actual number of victims to be much higher. The Black Book also includes the types of suffering and violence perpetrated by border agents, member state police forces, soldiers – and even guard dogs. Many of the incidents documented could be clearly described as sadistic, merciless, humiliating, and degrading. The question now is how serious the European side will be regarding human rights issues of non-Europeans in tandem with all these violations and corruption. 

This article was first published in Al-Watan newspaper, Monday, 22 December 2020.

Related Posts

Money-for-Migrants Strategy: Why and How the Tunisia-Europe Migration Agreement Came About

Dealing with Conflict in the Sahel

The Sudanese Refugee Crisis

The GERD Conundrum: Is a Solution in Sight?

TAGGED: Black book, EU, Human Rights, refugee
Khaled Okasha December 27, 2020
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Telegram Email Copy Link Print
Khaled Okasha
By Khaled Okasha
General Manager

Stay Connected

Facebook Like
Twitter Follow
Instagram Follow
Youtube Subscribe

Latest Articles

What’s the Rush?
Opinions Articles April 10, 2020
To What Extent do US Media Biases Affect the Course of Presidential Elections?
International Relations October 22, 2020
Clashes in Tripoli: Do Rapid Developments in Libya Clash with the Road Map?
Terrorism & Armed Conflict August 22, 2023
Israel and Gaza: Are Permanent Solutions Possible?
Opinions Articles August 17, 2022

Latest Tweets

International Relations

  • African Studies
  • American Studies
  • Arab & Regional Studies
  • Asian Studies
  • European Studies
  • Palestinian & Israeli Studies

Defence & Security

  • Armament
  • Cyber Security
  • Extremism
  • Terrorism & Armed Conflict

Public Policies

  • Development & Society
  • Economic & Energy Studies
  • Egypt & World Stats
  • Media Studies
  • Public Opinion
  • Women & Family Studies

The Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies is an independent non-profit think tank, providing decisions-makers by Policy alternatives, the center was establised in 2018 and comprises a group of experts and researchers from diffrent generations and scientific desciplines. 

All Rights Reserved to Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies - ECSS © 2022

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?