Seeking asylum in the Age of Offshoring
Shrinking space for human rights protection in London, Copenhagen and Berlin
Only a few years ago, offshore immigration policies – the idea of shifting the responsibility of processing asylum claims to a different country – were considered an idea only palatable among the populist far right.
Now, on the brink of unfolding climate emergency and in the midst of a war at Europe’s border, countries are recanting their obligations under international human rights law and pushing for policies that take people who seek asylum out of sight and over the border. In this context, Unbias the News and shado mag present a collaborative investigative series into how these policies are affecting activists and communities that stand for freedom of movement and the right to refuge.
Living in fear in Copenhagen: How Denmark is deliberately infringing on the rights of people seeking asylum
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said that Denmark’s goal is to have zero asylum seekers. Since Denmark cannot stop people from seeking asylum within its territory due to its international obligations, or deport people as quickly as it would like to, it is turning to other tactics.
Demonising migrants, fortifying borders: Germany’s downward asylum spiral
“It is structural racism. The right to asylum was established after World War Two, when Europeans were the ones fleeing. Now that they are no longer affected, they want to get rid of it.”
The Floating Prison and Uncharted Waters of UK Offshore Immigration Detention
The Bibby Stockholm and Rwanda Plan are just the beginning. Activists, legal charities, and grassroots organisations expose how Offshore Detention policies are impacting migrants in the UK and what we can do to resist.
Edited by Tina Lee, Isabella Pearce and Hannah Robathan.
This series was developed with the support of Journalismfund Europe.