"Better a Prison in Israel than Dying on the Way" ; Testimonies of Refugees who "'Voluntarily'' Departed Israel to Rwanda and Uganda and Gained Protection in Europe

This report is based on interviews conducted with Eritrean refugees who left Israel under the “Voluntary Departure” program to Rwanda and Uganda. There – in contrast to the promises made to them by the State of Israel – they were not granted protection, forcing them to embark on a dangerous journey ending in Europe. This report focuses on the “Voluntary Departure” policy and how it affected the lives of those who left Israel under it. This policy has been implemented since late 2013 vis-à-vis Eritrean and Sudanese residing in Israel. In January 2018, shortly before the publication of this repo... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Birger, Lior
Shoham, Shahar
Bolzman, Liat
Dokumenttyp: report
Erscheinungsdatum: 2018
Verlag/Hrsg.: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Schlagwörter: Voluntary Departure Policy / Externalization Policy / Israel / Rwanda / Forced migration journeys / Netherlands / Eritreans / Libya / Mediterranean Sea / 300 Sozialwissenschaften / אירופה / מדיניות עזיבה מרצון / פליטים / אריתראים / רואנדה / גרמניה / הולנד / לוב / מסעות פליטות / ddc:300
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-26808032
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : http://edoc.hu-berlin.de/18452/21030

This report is based on interviews conducted with Eritrean refugees who left Israel under the “Voluntary Departure” program to Rwanda and Uganda. There – in contrast to the promises made to them by the State of Israel – they were not granted protection, forcing them to embark on a dangerous journey ending in Europe. This report focuses on the “Voluntary Departure” policy and how it affected the lives of those who left Israel under it. This policy has been implemented since late 2013 vis-à-vis Eritrean and Sudanese residing in Israel. In January 2018, shortly before the publication of this report, the State of Israel announced an escalation of the measures it implements against this population; one such measure is a plan to forcibly deport asylum-seekers to a third country, i.e., not their homeland. The report is based on a qualitative research made up of 19 interviews with Eritrean refugees who left Israel between 2014-2016. 11 interviews were conducted in Germany and eight in the Netherlands, the countries of residence of the interviewees, in which the overwhelming majority received refugee status. An analysis of their responses shows a similar pattern: promises made by the Israeli government, both in court and to those departing, about what awaits them after their arrival to Rwanda and Uganda, went unfulfilled. Instead of being granted access to a process of applying for asylum or work permits, the deportees, upon landing, were placed in a precarious situation: the travel document they received in Israel, the only identifying document in their possession, was taken away from them. They were transferred to a hotel guarded by an armed sentry and prevented, under threat, from leaving the hotel. None of them were given the opportunity to apply for asylum. ; Lacking identifying documentation, exposed to robberies, threats and arrest, they were forced to embark on a dangerous journey that included passing through South Sudan, Sudan and Libya in search of safety. Throughout the journey, the refugees were subjected to ...