IS shows purported executions in Libya of Ethiopia Christians

The Islamic State group on Sunday released a video purportedly showing the execution of some 30 Ethiopian Christians captured in Libya.

The 29-minute IS video purports to show militants holding two groups of captives, described in text captions as "followers of the cross from the enemy Ethiopian Church".

A masked fighter in black brandishing a pistol makes a statement threatening Christians if they do not convert to Islam.
The video then switches between footage of one group of about 12 men being beheaded by masked militants on a beach and another group of at least 16 being shot in the head in a desert area.
It was not immediately clear who the captives were or how many were killed.
Before the killings, the video shows purported footage of Christians in Syria, saying they had been given the choice of converting to Islam or paying a special tax, and had decided to pay.
The video bore the logo of the IS media arm and was similar to past footage released by the jihadists, including of 21 Coptic Christians beheaded on a Libyan beach in February.
Feeding on the political chaos and unrest that has wracked Libya since the 2011 uprising that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi, several Libyan jihadist groups have pledged allegiance to IS.

Almost two-thirds of Ethiopians are Christians, mostly Orthodox Copts, who say they have been in the Horn of Africa nation since the first century AD.

There are also large numbers of protestants.
Ethiopia is Africa's second largest nation in terms of population, but large numbers of its more than 90 million people travel abroad to work in menial jobs so they can send money home.
Many go to Libya, using the North African nation as a stepping stone for the perilous crossing to Europe.

 Source: AFP

Israel to deport Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers to third countries

Authorities will give people 30 days to leave; those who refuse will face a hearing to determine their indefinite imprisonment. 

Israel will begin deporting asylum seekers from Eritrea and Sudan to unnamed third countries in Africa even if against their will, the immigration authority announced on Tuesday.

The assumption is that the third countries are Rwanda and Uganda, although Israel has not revealed details.

According to the interior minister, Gilad Erdan, the move will “encourage infiltrators to leave the borders of the state of Israel in an honourable and safe way, and serve as an effective tool for fulfilling our obligations towards Israeli citizens and restoring the fabric of life to the residents of south Tel Aviv”.

Until now, the state exerted pressure and provided a one-off monetary incentive for asylum seekers to leave voluntarily, but only if they signed written consent. Now the state will give them 30 days

More Than 200 Migrants Feared Dead After Boats Sink in Mediterranean

By VICE News
February 11, 2015 | 1:16 pm
More than 200 migrants are missing in the Mediterranean sea after the motorboats they were traveling in sank, the UN refugee agency says.
Nine people were saved after four days at sea, but a further 203 were "swallowed up," Carlotta Sami, the UNHCR spokeswoman in Italy, said on Twitter.
She called the incident a "horrible and enormous tragedy."
The two boats departed from the Libyan coast on Saturday, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Lauren Jolles, UNHCR officer for Southern Europe, criticised Operation Triton — Europe's Mediterranean border patrol — for lacking a "core mandate" of saving human lives.
"We are shocked by the news of the death of another 203 migrants and refugees," she said in a statement.
She added: "The Operation Triton does not have as its core mandate of saving human lives and therefore can not be the answer of which is urgently needed."
Triton was brought into replace Operation Mare Nostrum, the Italian government's program of maritime patrols, which ended last year to warnings from refugee experts that the death toll could soar. The EU operation, run by the bloc's border agency Frontex, covers a much reduced search area and is mandated with border surveillance rather than search and rescue.
Nils Muiznieks, human rights commissioner of the Council of Europe, also denounced Triton's inadequacy, saying the loss of life could have been avoided.
The news comes just days after 29 migrants died after their inflatable raft capsized near the Italian island of Lampedusa. 22 of those died from hypothermia after being picked up by a rescue vessel.
More than 165,000 undocumented migrants tried to cross the Mediterranean to Europe in the first nine months of 2014, accroding to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, compared with 60,000 for the whole of 2013. Almost half of the 2014 migrants were Syrians and Eritreans.
At least 3,000 died or went missing at sea in 2014, according to UNCHR estimates, compared to over 600 in 2013.
Main image: Migrants are picked up by an Italian navy patrol in December. Image via the Italian navy.

C'est ENCORE en Lampedusa! Plus de 20 migrants morts de froid.

Des gardes-côtes italiens ont retrouvé en mer Méditerranée plus de vingt migrants morts de froid, lors du sauvetage d'une embarcation sur laquelle se trouvaient plus d'une centaine de personnes.

Plus de vingt migrants sont morts de froid sur une embarcation qui a été secourue dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi par des gardes-côtes italiens, a annoncé, lundi 9 février, une source médicale à l'AFP. Selon les médias italiens, le total des morts pourrait atteindre 25 à 27 personnes.

"Il y a beaucoup de morts, certainement plus de vingt", a déclaré un médecin du centre des urgences de l'île italienne de Lampedusa, où ont été transférés lundi après-midi une centaine de survivants, dont certains hospitalisés pour hypothermie. "Nous avons dans le centre six jeunes souffrant d'une forte hypothermie et on tente d'organiser leur transport par hélicoptère" vers des hôpitaux mieux équipés, a ajouté le médecin.

L'alerte avait été donnée dimanche après-midi par les migrants à l'aide d'un téléphone satellitaire. Le centre opérationnel des gardes-côtes a dépêché sur place deux navires marchands qui se trouvaient dans la zone, ainsi que deux vedettes parties de Lampedusa, qui ont secouru les migrants dimanche vers 21 h GMT.

Source: France24 Avec AFP

Khaled Idris Bahray, The 20-year-old Eritrean Refugee, was allegedly killed by Racists in Germany

Killing of Eritrean refugee in Dresden exposes racial tensions in Germany

RIP, the late Khaled Idris Bahray 1995-2015

Anti-immigration sentiment highlighted after 25,000 rally in support of far-right Pegida movement on night of murder. t was 8pm on Monday when Khaled Idris Bahray told his seven flatmates he was popping out to buy some cigarettes from the Netto supermarket about 100 metres away from his flat in a prefab high-rise in the south of Dresden.
The 20-year-old Eritrean said he wouldn’t be long. But a few hours later he still hadn’t returned. “We assumed he’d gone to stay with some other friends nearby,” said his flatmate, Abdulrezak Suleman. “So we weren’t really worried.”
But around 7.40 the following morning, other residents in the six-storey building found his body slumped in the inner courtyard of the housing estate.
According to his flatmates, in reports that the police will not confirm, he was covered in blood, with at least one deep cut visible on his body. Rigor mortis had already set in. “He was lying on his back, and had blood coming out of his nose and mouth, with drops of blood leading towards the door as if he’d tried to get in, but not made it, and drops on the grass,” said Abdulatif, 23, a fellow Eritrean who lives nearby but had spent that night in Bahray’s flat.
Hmm not surprisingly, Police say No Foul Play!
The police had first said there seemed to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding the young Muslim’s death, saying in their initial statement that on first appearance “there are no indications of foul play”. But just hours later they confirmed the results of the postmortem showed that Bahray had been unlawfully killed in what appears to have been a vicious knife attack.
“We now have evidence to confirm that a stab from a knife was the cause of his injuries,” said Dieter Kroll, president of Dresden police. “We can exclude the possibility that this was an accident. It is murder.”
Dresden police have launched a murder investigation in the east German city that has been making headlines recently for its anti-immigrant rallies, which, on the night of Bahray’s death, attracted a record number of 25,000 supporters. Tensions in the city have been high in the 12 weeks since the rallies began, with a reported increase in racist attacks.
I want to earn some money and send to Mom, Bahray

Yemen migrant boat carrying Ethiopians sinks killing 70 : BBC

The irony is that these migrants are from one of the countries who boasts to score 'double-digit growth' consecutively over the last decade. Why would anybody risks her/his precious lives in such a tragic manner says volumes about the real desperation and frustration of these young people back home. This isn't an isolated incident; it becomes a norm now a days. Last month, UN released a report about the ever increasing number of Ethiopian migrants who are crossing red-sea, knowing the risk, to reach Yemen. Are there any explanation from the government and its apologists to clarify these contradictory realities, absolutely NOT! They will blame the desperate migrant who are victims of a system which forced them to make such desperate decisions. My thoughts goes to those who lost their lives and their bereaved families.    

A boat carrying African migrants has sunk off Yemen's western coast, killing 70 people, Yemeni officials say.

The boat, carrying mostly Ethiopian migrants, sank off Yemen's al-Makha port due to strong winds and rough waves, security officials said.

Tens of thousands attempt to cross the Red Sea into Yemen every year, often in rickety, overcrowded vessels. Hundreds have died making the journey.

Yemen is viewed by many migrants as a gateway to the Middle East or Europe.

The latest sinking occurred on Saturday, with reports of the incident emerging on Sunday.

The Red Sea crossing between the Horn of Africa and Yemen is one of the world's major migration routes, BBC Arab affairs editor Alan Johnston says.

Migrants dream of finding jobs and better lives in rich places like Saudi Arabia - but they are in the hands of unscrupulous people smugglers and, too often, never reach the Yemeni shore, our correspondent adds.

In October, the UN refugee agency said that more than 200 people had died at sea in 2014 while attempting to reach Yemen.

"There have been frequent reports of mistreatment, abuse, rape and torture, and the increasingly cruel measures being adopted by smuggling rings seem to account for the increase in deaths at sea," the UN said at the time.

 Source: BBC

We have no asylum-seekers in Ethiopia: Eritrea's U.N. Ambassador

Unaccompanied Eritrean refugee children in Ethiopia

Eritrea’s top diplomat to the United Nations says the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has committed a “conceptual mistake” in a report, which stated that in the past 37 days more than 6,000 Eritreans had claimed asylum in neighboring Ethiopia.

The U.N. refugee agency said Eritrea’s renewed conscription drive was to blame for the sharp increase in the number of youths fleeing the country.
But Eritrea's U.N. ambassador, Girma Asmerom, dismissed the report as a calculated effort to undermine the government by creating disaffection among its population. He said Eritrean citizens migrate just like other nationals, which he said is a global phenomenon.
“The U.N. has to do its bit of homework, because there are no asylum-seekers in Ethiopia,” said Asmerom. “We do not understand why they are

The Influx of Migrants from Ethiopia to Yemen increased dramatically

"In September - the most recent month for which statistics have been released - the Nairobi-based Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat (RMMS) reported 12,768 arrivals - predominantly from Ethiopia. It was more than double the figure for September 2013 and represented the single largest monthly influx on record."
SANAA, 20 November 2014 (IRIN) - Yemen's security crisis is leading to a rapid expansion in the people smuggling trade, with thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa desperate to use the country as a gateway to Saudi Arabia.
On 21 September, Houthi rebels - a Zaydi Shiite Muslim group based in the north of the country - seized control of the capital Sana'a after a battle with the army and Sunni Islamists.
Three cabinet overhauls in less than two months and ongoing clashes in many regions have thrown the country into a state of limbo. The UN Security Council and the US also recently complicated matters by imposing sanctions on former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and two senior Houthi military commanders.
While most Yemenis bemoan the chaos, for people smugglers opportunity knocks. Thousands more African migrants seeking to reach Saudi Arabia

ሰማሁ! እናቴ ሰማሁ! ማትያስ ከተማ (ወለላዬ)

ግጥሙን በድምጽ ለማዳመጥ እዚህ ጋር ይጫኑ ምንጭ፡ ኢትዮጵያ ዛሬ

Number of Syrian Kurds fleeing to Turkey nears 140,000: UNHCR

GENEVA. September 23 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency on Tuesday said more than 138,000 refugees, mainly ethnic Kurds fleeing militant threats to towns and villages in northern Syria, have crossed into southern Turkey since Friday.

The latest arrivals passed through the two remaining open border points at Yumurtalik and the crossing east of Murstipinar/Akmanak.

UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming said the Turkish authorities had told the refugee agency that they are now managing the entry of refugees through two border points (previously nine) in three phases: security checks in order to maintain the civilian character of asylum; health checks, including measles and polio vaccination for very young children; and registration.

Mobile registration centres, large trucks donated by UNHCR and complete with computers, biometric and photographic equipment, are operating in the border crossing of Yumurtalik and in the yard of a primary school of Namik Kemal, Suruc.

Registration is also being carried out by government officials at a boarding school in Onbirnisan, in Suruc district hosting an estimated 50,000 refugees, as well as the Suruc town center – less than 15 kilometers from the Syrian border.

Once registered, refugees receive an ID card, which provides access to free health care services in Turkish clinics, as well as other aid provided by local municipalities, non-governmental organizations and other aid agencies. The card is a critical document that also shows refugees have the temporary protection of the Turkish government.

"UNHCR field staff are visiting the border areas and areas hosting refugees on a daily basis, assessing urgent needs and coordinating the response among other humanitarian actors," Fleming said.

"Our field staff report the majority of new arrivals are women, children and the elderly, who arrive exhausted having walked several kilometers to safety on a dusty, rough road, with their luggage. Some of the elderly and disabled are carried to safety by relatives, their wheel chairs hopelessly unsuited to the rough terrain," she added.

On arrival, the refugees are given water before being transported to a registration point. The Turkish Red Crescent has set up a medical observation tent for injured refugees and more than 290 Syrians were taken to the Suruc hospital by ambulances over the weekend.

The refugee agency has already provided tens of thousands of relief items – blankets, sleeping mats, jerry cans and plastic sheets – to help in the response, coordinated by the government of Turkey. More aid is on the way.

UNHCR's Fleming said the first in a series of airlifts bringing aid for up to 200,000 people is expected to arrive in Turkey, from Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday afternoon. Another three flights from Amman and Copenhagen are expected to follow later in the week.

Many refugees are sheltering with relatives and friends, while others are staying in schools, wedding halls, mosques or other buildings. The Turkish government has set up two transit centres for 10,000 people each at Suleymansah Park in Mursitpinar and Onbirnisan, in Suruc, with support from UNHCR. The government also continues its work on two new camps already under way – Derik Camp in Mardin and Islahiye camp – also with UNHCR support.
Source: UNHCR

Young Iranian asylum seeker died in Australia for medical neglect

Here we go again with another young man's life which was unnecessarily lost due to Australia's cruel policy against refugees and asylum seekers. When he left his country, he was looking for freedom and peace somewhere far away, little he knew he would end up in a notorious detention center which did cost his precious life. Right or left, Australian politicians spent/spending sleepless nights to bar refugees from entering their 'country' which their ancestors looted from Aborigines. Rest in Peace young man! A victim of racist policy.
Twenty four years old Iranian asylum seeker Hamid has been declared brain dead in a Brisbane hospital following his family's decision to switch off his life support. He had been declared ‘brain dead’ after contracting septicaemia from an infection contracted while in offshore detention on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island, a refugee advocacy group says. Hamid Kehazaei's family decided to donate his organs

ህይወታችን በፍርሃትና በስጋት የተሞላ ነው፡ በኬንያ የሚገኙ ኢትዮጵያውያን ስደተኞች

ኬንያ የሚገኙ ኢትዮጵያውያን ስደተኞች ችግር እየተባባሰ መሄዱን እዚያ የሚገኙ ስደተኞች አስታወቁ ። የኬንያ መንግሥት ስደተኞች በሙሉ በሃገሪቱ ወደሚገኙ የስደተኞች መጠለያ ጣቢያዎች እንዲገቡ ካዘዘ ወዲህ በተለይ በከተሞች የሚገኙ ኢትዮጵያውያን የፍርሃትና የስጋት ህይወት እንደሚገፉ ለዶቼቬለ አስታውቀዋል ።

በኬንያ የተባበሩት መንግሥታት የስደተኞች ጉዳይ ከፍተኛ ኮሚሽን ቢሮ በበኩሉ በከተሞች ኑሮአቸውን ሲገፉ የቆዩት ስደተኞች ጉዳይ መፍትሄ እንዲፈለግለት ለኬንያ መንግሥት ማሰሰቡን መቀጠሉን አስታውቋል።ድርጅቱ ችግሩ መፍትሄ ያገኛል ብሎ ተስፋ እንደሚያደርግም ተናግሯል ።ኬንያ ከ3 ሳምንት በፊት ያወጀችው አዲሱ ህግ በሃገሪቱ የሚገኙ ስደተኞች በሙሉ በሁለቱ የስደተኞች መጠለያዎች ማለትም በምሥራቅ ኬንያው የዳዳብ የስደተኞች መጠለያ ወይም ደግሞ በሰሜን ምዕራቡ በከካኩማ መጠለያ እንዲገቡ ያዛል ። ይህ ህግ ከታወጀ አንስቶ በተለያዩ ከተሞች የሚኖሩ የተባበሩት መንግሥታት የስደተኞች ጉዳይ ኮሚሽን «ዩኤንኤችሲአር»እውቅና የሰጣቸውም ሆነ ገና እውቅና ያላገኙት ስደተኞች መብታቸው መጣሱና መንገላታታቸውም መባባሱን ኬንያ የሚገኙ ኢትዮጵያውያን ስደተኞች ለዶቼቬለ አስታውቀዋል ።የኬንያ መንግሥት ስደተኞች በሙሉ ወደ መጠለያ ጣቢያዎች እንዲገቡ ቢያዝም ኢትዮጵያውያኑ ስደተኞችም እንደሚሉት

Saraa Zewedi Yilma criss-crossed half the world & Paid $15,000 to Reach USA

American based NPR's ( National Public Radio) producers met and talked with Saraa Zewedi Yilma, an Ethiopian pregnant woman, who is staying La Posada Providencia shelter which helps newly arrived refugees by crossing USA-American border. Saraa told the producers her arduous journeny from Ethiopia to Sudan to Brazil, then through Venezuela, Colombia and beyond. She said she fled Ethiopia due to political reasons and her husband who came along with her is now at the US detention center. Saraa's younger sister lost her life in capsized boat off West Africa, which is one of the sad realities for many refugees including Ethiopians. Here is what Steve Inskeep wrote about the challenges and hardships of immigrants from other countries to make their dreams come true.  

Scores of Ethiopians and Somalis fleeing poverty and unrest at home drown off Yemen

 

At least 42 African migrants have drowned after their boat overturned off Yemen's southern coast, the defence ministry has said.

The boat smuggling dozens of migrants overturned off the coast of Beer Ali, in the southern Shabwah province, late on Sunday the ministry said in a brief statement on its news website 26sep.net.

A Yemeni naval patrol in the Arabian Sea saved at least 30 others who were taken to a refugee camp in the town of Mayfaa, it said.

A security official confirmed the incident to the AFP news agency but no more details were immediately available.

African migrants, especially Ethiopians and Somalis fleeing poverty and unrest at home, generally slip into southern Yemen by boat before heading north towards the Saudi frontier.

About 84,000 people from Horn of Africa countries flooded into Yemen in 2012, hoping to find jobs in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Source Al-Jazeera English

Ethiopian pregnant Refugee to pay $880 for being Gang-raped by Six Sudanese men

A Sudanese court in Khartoum sentenced on Thursday, 18 years old pregnant Ethiopian refugee who was gang-raped by six thugs in September, to one month jail and 880 USD fine. It was learnt that the 7^th accomplice filmed her while she was being raped with his cellphone and posted it on social media called WhatsApp. The girl is right now in the prison. She was three months pregnant while she was gang-raped. Hala AlKarib, regional Head of a women's rights groups called SIHA ( Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa) told Deutsche Welle Radio Amharic service that the victim has been in prison for more than a month and she could give birth at anytime. She was charged with indecent acts and sentenced to one month on February 20, 2014. The woman was sentenced to a one-month jail term but this was suspended because she is pregnant, her lawyer, Samia al-Hashmi, told the AFP news agency and  the court ordered instead her to pay another 5,000 Sudanese Pound (880 USD) fine. The young woman had also faced charges of adultery and prostitution, which could have led to a penalty of death by stoning, but these were dropped after she convinced the court she was divorced, reports SIHA. She has not been freed yet even though the fine was paid. The rapists were seen in the clip showing a V sign and their middle fingers while she was being raped to express their disrespect. Answering how the Ethiopian pregnant woman was gang-raped, Ms Halla says the woman was house-hunting when she was lured to an empty property and attacked in Omdurman, just across the River Nile from Khartoum. When the victim was checking out the room, the broker phoned his friends and then they raped and filmed the sexual scene. The crime was committed in September but the 7^th culprit shared the video on social media a month ago and that is how she was caught by the Sudanese police and put behind bars. The victim tried to report a crime to a police officer she met on the street right after the crime but she couldn't succeed due to language barrier as she speaks only broken Arabic. Halla said the refugee girl came to the Sudan recently,  adding that the victim might come to the country searching for a better life.” According to Sudanese law a raped woman will be charged with adultery. If both the victim and the rapists are unmarried, they shall be stoned. Ironically however, the men who raped the girl got 100 slashes and then released since of all them are singles. 

SIHA underscores that such miscarriage of justice in Sudan makes women and men victims of rape not to report the crime and in the meantime encourage rapists to get away with their crime.
It says she now faces deportation.

The group's regional director Hala Elkarib condemned the conviction, saying it would prevent women from reporting sexual abuse.

"The levelling of immigration charges against the victim further denies her protection by the state and protracts the punishment and emotional stress against her whilst she has been subjected to the most brutal of crimes," she said.
The Sudanese government is holding the Ethiopian girl in prison for allegedly entering the country illegally. The girl is in her 9^th month pregnancy. 
Sudanese law is based on Sharia and women have been punished for wearing trousers or not covering their hair. 

Source: Deutsche Welle Radio Amharic

ነፍሰጡር ኢትዮጵያዊቷ ስደተኛ በ6 ወንዶች መደፈሯ ሳያንስ እስራትና የ880$ ቅጣት ሱዳን ውስጥ ተፈረደባት፡ለመሆኑ የኢትዮጵያዊ ዋጋው ስንት ነው?

ሱዳን መዲና ካርቱም ውስጥ በ6 ጋጠወጦች የተደፈረችው ኢትዮጵያዊት ስደተኛ፣ ወጣት፣ ነፍሰጡር ለአንድ ወር እስር ቤት እንድትቆይ እና 950 ዶላር እንድትቀጣ ትናንት ተበየነባት። ወጣቷ ኢትዮጵያዊት ስትደፈር 7ኛው ወንጀለኛ ድርጊቱን በሞባይል ቀርፆ በማኅበራዊ መገናኛ ዘርፍ ማሰራጨቱም ተነግሯል። ወጣቷ በአሁኑ ወቅት እስር ቤት ነው የምትገኘው። የ18 ዓመት ወጣት የሆነች ኢትዮጵያዊት ስደተኛ ሱዳን መዲና ካርቱም ውስጥ በ6 ጋጠወጦች ተደፍራ ድርጊቱ በማኅበራዊ መገናኛ ዘርፍ ቢሰራጭም፤ ወጣቷ በጥፋተኝነት ቅጣት ተበየነባት። ወንጀሉ ሲፈጸምባት የሶስት ወር ነፍሰጡር የነበረችው ኢትዮጵያዊቷ ወጣት 950 ዶላር ገደማም እንድትከፍል ተፈርዶባታል። ወጣቷ እስር ቤት ውስጥ ነው የምትገኘው። የሴቶች መብት አስከባሪ ተቋም በእንግሊዘኛ ምኅፃሩ SIHA የአፍሪቃ ቀንድ ኃላፊ የሆኑት ወይዘሪት ሐላ ኧልካሪብ።
«እስር ቤት ውስጥ ለአንድ ወር እና ከእዛ በላይ ቆይታለች። የደረሰች ነፍሰጡር በመሆኗ

Australia Told its detained Asylum-seekers to Resttele Themselves

Reports from Manus Island indicate a major protest and breakout has taken place on Manus Island late this afternoon. The most recent reports indicate that the riot squad has been mobilized and that the perimeter fence has been breached.

Protests have been building all day, but escalated after a meeting (around 2pm Manus time) was held to answer asylum seekers’ questions about resettlement.

Shockingly, the asylum seekers were told that they “will not be resettled in PNG” and if they wanted to go somewhere else, they will need to arrange that themselves.

There had been protests throughout the day, but around 4pm Manus Island time, events escalated and the G4S riot squad went into Oscar compound.

A couple of hours later, fences were knocked down and the whole detention center was locked down as the protests spread to all the compounds. There were reports of a fire being set in one compound and tents have been destroyed.

It seems the perimeter fence of one compound, perhaps Oscar, has now been breached and a major protest is underway.

There are reports of asylum seekers being injured by G4S guards. Some asylum seekers have been taken to the police station.

There have been daily protests on Manus Island involving hundreds of asylum seekers since 25 January as frustrations have increased over delays in processing and uncertainty about their future.

Today’s announcement that there would be no resettlement in PNG confirms earlier reports that resettlement was never a part of the PNG deal and the PNG government has never had plans to resettle refugees.

Source: RefugeeActionSydney 

Australia is allegedly behind Visa hike to visit its Nauru Concentration Camp

Nauru to increase visa cost for journalists from $200 to $8,000

Bridie Jabour and Daniel Hurst of the Guardian reported yesterday that the new fee, which is not refundable if an application is rejected, will come into force in the next few days. 

An aerial photograph of Nauru. Photograph: Torsten Blackwood/AFP

Journalists will be charged $8,000 to apply for a visa, even if it is rejected, to visit the island of Nauru where the Australian government is holding hundreds of asylum seekers in detention.

The Global Mail is reporting the new fee, up on the $200 it cost for a visa in 2013, will come into effect in the next few days after the Nauruan parliament voted to approve the increase.

A spokeswoman for the Nauru government said the move was solely for “revenue purposes” and was yet to come into effect.

The website’s photographer, Mike Bowers, applied for a visa to visit the island in November and on Tuesday was reportedly sent an email from the director of Nauru’s government information office, Joanna Olsson.

“Sorry for the late response but yes we are granting media visas. The fee is $8,000 per visa, single entry valid for 3 months. The visa fee is not refundable if the application is not successful,” the email said.

Bowers initially thought the quoted fee was a mistake but it was confirmed to both him and another staff member at the Global Mail to be $8,000.

The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, said he had "no idea" whether the Australian government had any role in pushing for the visa fee increase, but argued the move may be intended to deter journalists from visiting Nauru.

"There's more than one way to bar the scrutiny of the press," he said. "It could be a revenue raising measure or it could be a measure aimed at discouraging Australian journalists from reporting to Australia how Australian taxpayer dollars are being used." Asked whether the Australian government requested the change, the Nauran spokeswoman said: "I haven't been told anything to suggest that."

What's Got Australia to HIDE?

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young criticized the Nauruan government's decision, saying it was designed to make it difficult for the media to access Nauru and to get information back to Australia.

"This is of course part of Tony Abbott's strategy of shutting down public information about how Australian taxpayer money is being spent on the cruel and harsh detention camps on Nauru," she told reporters in Adelaide.

Offshore processing of asylum seekers on Nauru was re-introduced by the Gillard Labor government in 2012.

In July, an accommodation building at a processing center on the island was destroyed when asylum seekers began rioting, which Salvation Army workers put down to the “degrading” conditions they were being held in.

The practice of offshore processing and the conditions asylum seekers are held in have been criticised by the United Nations refugee agency and in December it was announced the Australian government was ending the Salvation Army’s contract to provide humanitarian services on Nauru.

Nauruan government officials have been contacted for comment.

Eritrean & Sudanese Refugees Urged Israel to Respect Geneva Convention 1951

Netanyahu says "no rallies or strikes will help" and stresses that "these are illegal work infiltrators" and not refugees.

Jerusalem Post says that in a rally which started last Sunday and ends today, over fifteen thousand African migrants mainly from Eritrea and Sudan marched in the streets of Tel Aviv outside foreign embassies and the headquarters of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Libya another hell-hole for African Migrants

"If an African dies here, it is normal. No one cares". 24 years-old Nigerian migrant 

"A male officer stripped me off to check out if I hide cellphone in my private parts". Pregnant woman 

I heard several horrific stories from Ethiopians and Eritreans who had stayed in Libya as a transit before they moved to Europe but I never expected these level of xenophobic and racist abuses fellow Africans including children and women just because they happen to have a bit higher melanin than the local Libyans. A report which was released today by Amnesty International shows these defenseless and helpless people are being abused, degraded, beaten, raped and killed by local self-proclaimed militias who claim to protect Libyan women from rape and their country from witchcraft. Oh no, how would a 15 years old girl