Lebanese army arrests 64 migrants trying to sail to Europe
2 years, 6 months ago

Lebanese army arrests 64 migrants trying to sail to Europe

Associated Press  

BEIRUT — The Lebanese military arrested 64 migrants as they were trying to set sail from northern Lebanon on Tuesday in an attempt to get to Europe, the army command said. According to an army statement, the migrants — Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians — were all detained and were being questioned, except for one pregnant woman who was bleeding and was taken to hospital. The attempt came weeks after a boat carrying more than 60 migrants capsized on April 23 off the coast of Tripoli, Lebanon’s second-largest and most impoverished city. For years, Lebanon had been a country where refugees fled to, but since its economic meltdown began in late 2019, thousands of people have left the country by sea, seeking a better life in Europe.

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History of this topic

Rights group alleges Lebanon and Cyprus violated refugees’ human rights and EU funds paid for it
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Rights group alleges Lebanon and Cyprus violated refugees’ human rights and EU funds paid for it

Associated Press  

BEIRUT — European aid sent to Lebanon in an attempt to regulate migration by sea is funding practices that violate human rights, according to a global watchdog report published Wednesday. As part of a policy to contain migration, authorities in Cyprus have physically pushed Syrian refugees back to Lebanon, and Lebanese security agencies have deported them, the Human Rights Watch …

Smugglers throwing migrants off speedboats in Aegean Sea to avoid arrest, says Greek coast guard
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Smugglers throwing migrants off speedboats in Aegean Sea to avoid arrest, says Greek coast guard

Associated Press  

ATHENS, Greece — Smugglers ferrying migrants from Turkey to Greece’s eastern islands have in two cases adopted the new and dangerous tactic of knocking some passengers off their speedboats into the sea to avoid capture by pursuing coast guards, Greek authorities say. The Greek coast guard said Tuesday that in one case over the weekend a Palestinian and an Afghan …

UN refugee agency tells Cyprus to stick to the law in its efforts at sea to thwart refugee boats
8 months ago

UN refugee agency tells Cyprus to stick to the law in its efforts at sea to thwart refugee boats

Associated Press  

NICOSIA, Cyprus — The United Nations’ refugee agency said Friday that Cypriot efforts at sea to stop numerous Syrian refugee-laden boats departing Lebanon from reaching the European Union-member island nation mustn’t contravene international human rights laws or put passengers at risk. UNCHR spokesperson in Cyprus Emilia Strovolidou told The Associated Press that according to testimonies of passengers’ relatives, Cypriot authorities …

Cyprus braces for refugee arrivals amid Lebanon war fears
1 year, 1 month ago

Cyprus braces for refugee arrivals amid Lebanon war fears

Al Jazeera  

Officials in Cyprus say Beirut’s possible involvement in the Israel-Hamas war has made Lebanon lag in migration management. Cyprus has received 458 Syrian refugees from Lebanon in a week, Cypriot authorities have said, as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to spread into a wider regional conflict. He said that Lebanon’s possible involvement in Israel’s war in Gaza and the generally worsening …

Cyprus is sending Syrian migrants back to Lebanon. The UN is concerned but Cypriots say it’s lawful
1 year, 4 months ago

Cyprus is sending Syrian migrants back to Lebanon. The UN is concerned but Cypriots say it’s lawful

Associated Press  

NICOSIA, Cyprus — The United Nations refugee agency said Friday it was “extremely concerned” over the return of more than 100 Syrian nationals from Cyprus to Lebanon without being screened to determine whether they need legal protection and who may be deported back to their war-wracked homeland. “Under these circumstances, we believe that they don’t face any danger and their …

Saved from death at sea, Syrian refugees face deportation
1 year, 11 months ago

Saved from death at sea, Syrian refugees face deportation

Associated Press  

TRIPOLI, Lebanon — On New Year’s Eve, a small boat carrying more than 230 would-be migrants, most of them Syrians, broke down and began to sink after setting sail from the northern coast of Lebanon. Since the collapse of Lebanon’s economy in 2019, an increasing number of people — mostly Syrian and Palestinian refugees but also Lebanese citizens — have …

Saved from death at sea, Syrian refugees face deportation
1 year, 11 months ago

Saved from death at sea, Syrian refugees face deportation

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. After bringing them back to shore, to the port …

Cyprus arrests 5 after 2 boats sink, 37 migrants saved
2 years, 3 months ago

Cyprus arrests 5 after 2 boats sink, 37 migrants saved

Associated Press  

NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus police have arrested five Syrians on suspicion of people trafficking after a police patrol boat plucked them and 32 of their countrymen from the sea when their rickety boats sank close to the island’s southeastern tip. Police say the five men aged 46-53 face numerous charges including helping third-country citizens to illegally enter Cyprus for financial …

Op-Ed: Climate migration will worsen the brutality and chaos on the Mediterranean
3 years ago

Op-Ed: Climate migration will worsen the brutality and chaos on the Mediterranean

LA Times  

Bangladeshi migrants making their way from Libya to Europe are rescued June 12 by the crew of the Geo Barents, a rescue vessel operated by Doctors Without Borders in the central Mediterranean. Since at least 2017, the EU, led by Italy, has trained and equipped the Libyan coast guard to serve as a proxy maritime force, whose central purpose is …

‘I am dead here': Lebanese join Mideast migrants to Europe
3 years ago

‘I am dead here': Lebanese join Mideast migrants to Europe

Associated Press  

TRIPOLI, Lebanon — Ziad Hilweh knew his family might die on the way. Hundreds of Lebanese have tried to reach Europe this year on boats from their country’s shores, spurred by a devastating economic crisis that has thrown two thirds of the population into poverty since October 2019. “It is evident that these are desperate journeys undertaken by people who …

Lebanese navy rescues distressed boat carrying migrants
3 years, 1 month ago

Lebanese navy rescues distressed boat carrying migrants

Associated Press  

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s navy rescued a boat carrying migrants that had left the country, heading west across the Mediterranean Sea, but broke down off the coast, the prime minister’s office said Saturday. It was the latest case of desperate people — mostly Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians — sailing toward European Union member Cyprus, and sometimes Turkey, seeking to escape Lebanon’s …

6 Syrian refugees arrested in Lebanon at risk of deportation
3 years, 3 months ago

6 Syrian refugees arrested in Lebanon at risk of deportation

Associated Press  

BEIRUT — Lawyers of six Syrian refugees arrested in Lebanon said on Sunday that the country’s security services have given them a 24-hour ultimatum — either leave Lebanon to a third country or be deported to Syria, the war-ravaged country they fled. Lawyer Mohammed Sablouh said the move is highly unusual, is a violation of Lebanon’s international obligations and laws, …

Albania rescues 50 Syrian migrants heading for Italy by boat
3 years, 11 months ago

Albania rescues 50 Syrian migrants heading for Italy by boat

Associated Press  

TIRANA, Albania — Albanian military and police ships saved 50 Syrian refugees trapped by bad weather as they tried to reach Italy by boat, police and local media reported Saturday. A police statement said that, in collaboration with Italy’s financial police, on Friday evening they found the packed inflatable boat at the Vjosa River delta, some 100 kilometers south of …

Lebanon affirms deal to take back migrants sailing to Cyprus
4 years, 2 months ago

Lebanon affirms deal to take back migrants sailing to Cyprus

Associated Press  

NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus and Lebanon on Tuesday reaffirmed an agreement for Lebanese authorities to take back migrants aboard boats trying to reach Cypriot shores. He said European Union member Cyprus and Lebanon would “We’re sending out a clear message that we won’t tolerate anyone engaging in the trafficking of human beings and that we’re defending the interests of our …

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