Success for Israeli human rights groups fighting the Anti-Infiltration Law, as reported on in past IDM updates. This month the Supreme Court ruled that the detention of migrants, largely African, was unlawful and ruled that the prolonged detention of asylum seekers is unconstitutional. The government are to release those currently detained under the law. The government has 90 days to act, and so the challenge is not over yet. The IDC congratulates members, including Hotline for Migrant Workers, for their role in this successful challenge.
In other positive news, Moroccan IDC members, GADEM, played a key role in developing the Moroccan civil society report to the United Nations Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families who this month examined Morocco’s implementation of the related Convention. The report was well received by the committee, who made a number of strong recommendations to the Government of Morocco. Press reports indicate that the Government of Morocco is now looking to improve the situation for migrant workers in Morocco.
Despite positive indications (with a long way still to go in both Morocoo and Israel), refugees, asylum seekers and migrants continue to face risk of immigration detention across MENA region. This month there have been disturbing reports not only of detention of Syrian refugees in Egypt, but of 2 refugees killed when the Egyptian coast guard shot at a boat full of refugees attempting to sail for Italy. From Libya, reports that parts of the Tripoli zoo are now being used as an immigration detention centre.