Hunger strikes in guarded centres

Alert DateOctober 17, 2012 Country: Poland Address: Białystok, Biała Podlaska, Lesznowola, Przemyśl General Type: Equality/Integration Racism and discrimination phenomena: Xenophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Migrants, Asylum seekers Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Policing - law enforcement, Daily life
Victims Data
Victims Nationality/Ethnic Origin N/A
Victims Gender N/A
Victims Age N/A
Victims Number N/A
Fatalities - deaths N/A
Perpetrators Data
Perpetrators Nationality/Ethnic Origin N/A
Perpetrator Gender N/A
Perpetrator Age N/A
Perpetrators Number N/A
Extremist/Organised Group Violence No

In October 2012, numerous hunger srikes took place in guarded centres for foreigners who are detained there to be deported or await the final decision about granting international protection to them. The protesters, among others, complained at the use of force against them and demanded access to information in their languages, schooling for their children and proper medical assistance. The report “Migration is not a crime” published by the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and Stowarzyszenie Interwencji Prawnej (Association for Legal Intervention) on 18 December, 2012 concludes that the regime practised in guarded centres for foreigners, modelled on the army or prison ones, combined with the architecture and the interiors of the centres, should be considered oppressive. According to experts, it creates favourable conditions for behaviours of the border guards which could be described as violating the foreigners' dignity. For instance, the border guards address the foreigners by their identification numbers or threaten them with deportation without a justifiable reason. Another question requiring changes is putting children and juvenile – often traumatized by war – in detention centres and limiting their right to education.

Source:

  1. TVP.Info, 17.10.2012, Uchodźcy protestują w polskich ośrodkach (The hunger strikes in the refugee camps), http://tvp.info/informacje/polska/uchodzcy-protestuja-w-polskich-osrodkach/8832074, Accessed on 12.12.2012.
  2. Stowarzyszenie Interwencji Prawnej, 18.12.2012, Raport z monitoringu ośrodków dla cudzoziemców "Migracja to nie zbrodnia" (The monitoring report on the centres for the foreigners "Migration is not a crime"), http://interwencjaprawna.pl/18-grudnia-sip-i-hfpc-opublikowaly-raport-z-monitoringu-osrodkow-strzezonych-dla-cudzoziemcow-migracja-to-nie-zbrodnia/, Accessed on 18.12.2012.