1. A dark deal between Italy and Libya on migrants
Is Italy actually paying Libyan people smugglers to slow down migrants? The New York Times and the Washington Post know this for a fact (and here is a useful summary from Il Post). A questionable strategy with alarming consequences (as explained by Ahmed Elumami in Reuters and D. Parvaz in Think Progress).
2. Making Libya’s detention centres more humane is a lost cause
Announcing cooperation funding and investing a few million euros is not enough to make the inhabitable habitable: Libya’s detention camps are beyond reform, and the only way to make the Libyan hell more human is to close them down. Umberto De Giovannopoli wrote in Huffington Post Italia about the funding for Italy’s effort to improve conditions in Libyan detention camps.
3. The UN aims to open a transit centre for refugees in Libya
With overcrowding, abuse and sexual violence, conditions in migrant detention centres in Libya remain appalling. Given this situation, the UNHCR is seeking to open a no-detention refugee transit centre. The greatest obstacles, however, are not only the militias who are profiting from the detention camps, but the governments of EU countries. Read the article by Annalisa Camilli in Internazionale.
4. What will happen to the reforms to citizenship laws?
The reform of Italy’s citizenship laws has been postponed yet again (to 2018). According to most commentators, it was a deliberate sinking: Mario Calabresi’s op-ed in Repubblica called it “a disgraceful surrender”, while Eleonora Camilli wrote in Redattore Sociale about the disappointment among human rights organisations. Meanwhile, Transport Minister Delrio and President of the Senate Grasso remain positive (as reported by La Repubblica) and have stated “There’s still time, we can still make it”.
5. Brexit: the search for lost citizenship
Following Theresa May controversial speech in Florence, negotiations on Brexit have resumed and concerns over the rights of EU citizens in the UK are still high. Leaving the EU, however, is cause for concern for British nationals, too: over the last few months, tens of thousands of UK citizens have applied for citizenship in other EU countries. Read the in-depth article by Chris Morris for the BBC.
6. Germany and refugees – what will happen after the election
Germany’s federal elections last week saw a predictable confirmation of Angela Merkel’s leadership, but for the first time in decades, the xenophobic far right also won seats in the Bundestag. Rebecca Baden’s report for Vice describes election night through the eyes of Syrian refugees, while Aryn Baker’s in-depth article for Time magazine is aptly titled “Promised Land”. Do not miss Elio Germani’s photo-report for Politico on the rebuilt lives of refugees in Germany.
7. There is no invasion in Romania
There is a rising number of migrants who attempt the extremely dangerous route to reach Romania via the Black Sea. However, contrary to most headlines in Romanian media, there is no ongoing invasion. Read the report by Cristian Stefanescu for Deutsche Welle.
8. Till resettlement do us part
The first refugees from the Australian detention centres of Manu Island and Nauru are leaving for US resettlement. For some of them, however, this means having to choose between freedom and their families. Ben Doherty wrote in the Guardian about Arash, who might never see his wife again and never meet his daughter if he leaves for the US.
9. We really need to keep talking about the Rohingya
Myanmar is witnessing what the UN have described as “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing” against the Rohingya minority. An article in Reuters Graphics illustrates the tragic events of the last month, with an emphasis on the exodus of hundreds of thousands of people who are fleeing the massacre. Matteo Fumagalli wrote in The Conversation on the geopolitics that helped create this crisis, while Natalie Brinham explained in Open Democracy why a new approach is needed.
10. Trump’s policy of fear
After threatening to repeal DACA e and the preliminary work on building the border wall, the latest development in Trump’s policy on immigration is an attack on sanctuary cities. An extensive article by Dara Lind for Vox illustrates the American President’s strategy of fear against immigrants, and its alarming consequences.
Translation by Francesco Graziosi.
HEADER PHOTO: migrants awaiting to be boarded on traffickers’ boats – via UNHCR Photo Unit (CC BY 2.0).
