Commission reports on progress made by Bulgaria and Romania on the Pilot Projects for Fast Asylum and Return Procedures

Today, six months since the start of implementation of the pilots projects for fast asylum and return procedures, the Commission is reporting on the good progress made by Bulgaria and Romania. Overall, solid results have been achieved with best practices identified in the area of accelerated asylum procedures and effective returns, border management and reinforced cooperation with neighbouring…

Statement of “Voice in Bulgaria” on the “Regulation of the European Commission and of the Council laying down harmonised rules on Artificial Intelligence – Artificial Intelligence Act” and its application in Migration

Statement of “Voice in Bulgaria”  on the “Regulation of the European Commission and of the Council laying down harmonised rules on Artificial Intelligence – Artificial Intelligence Act” and its application in Migration   Part I – Overview of EU regulation on Artificial Intelligence   1. Introduction   On 14 June 2023, the European Parliament will vote…

Over 100 Church members beaten and arrested at the Turkish Border

KAPIKULE, TURKEY, May 24th, 9:00 GMT]- Over 100 members of The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, a persecuted religious minority, who have presented themselves at the Turkish-Bulgarian border claiming asylum this morning have just been refused entry, violently beaten, pushed back and taken to Edirne public safety office. Gunshots were fired at them, they…

Open Letter to Bulgarian Authorities and Frontex

We, the undersigned, are writing to urge you to fulfil the fundamental rights obligations Bulgaria are bound by under the Law on Asylum and Refugees, Article 18 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, Directive 2013/32/EU, the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human…

LET’S PAVE THE WAY – IT IS UP TO US!

Campaign in support of a legislative initiative to regulate the status of undocumented people in Bulgaria. Who are these people and why are they in this situation? Check out the stories told by them in the link to the video channel of CCI – Voice in Bulgaria on YouTube. Support the campaign by signing the…

Anti-torture committee calls on European governments to end pushbacks and prevent ill-treatment of foreign nationals at borders

  The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has called on European governments to protect foreign nationals deprived of their liberty under immigration legislation from any ill-treatment and to put an end to pushbacks at land or sea borders, particularly at the borders of the European Union. In its annual report for 2022, the CPT…

AT EUROPE’S BORDERS: BETWEEN IMPUNITY AND CRIMINALIZATION

Pushbacks and criminalisation of CSOs in Greece – Executive Summary While pushbacks are not a recent phenomenon, the number of cases of reported pushbacks at the land and sea borders of Greece with Turkey has increased since March 2020. At the same time, NGOs and human rights defenders who provide legal aid to victims of…

Bulgaria Accused Of Brutal Border Pushbacks

Bulgaria faces mounting accusations that it is abusing people trying to cross its border with Turkey, with asylum seekers saying they have been pushed back, locked up, stripped and beaten. The EU member serves as a gateway into the bloc and is trying to tighten the border to stop a rising number of people seeking…

BALKAN REGIONAL REPORT–OCTOBER 2022

SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF PUSHBACKS AND INTERNAL VIOLENCE DOCUMENTED BY BVMN DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER   In October, the Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN) shared 35 testimonies of pushbacks impacting 550 people-on-the-move (POM) across the Balkans and Greece. This report brings together first-hand testimonies from a range of countries in the region to look at…