Today 22/01/13 Dutch migration activist Joke Kaviaar was handed a 4 month prison sentence by a court in Haarlem for ‘incitement’.
Joke says that she will appeal the decision at a higher court and that she will not silenced.
Joke’s support group 13 September, which was set up after Joke’s arrest have said that this sentence was expected given the current political climate in the Netherlands. Read their press release (in English) about the sentence here.
A 26 year old Algerian has been sentenced to two years imprisonment 4 men escaped from Palaiseau CRA on 16/12/12. He has been charged with attempting to escape and assaulting police officers. He has also been ordered to pay €1200 to the police in damages.
NU reports that Russian opposition party activist Alexander Dolmatiov has committed suicide in a migrant prison (‘detention centre’) in Rotterdam.
Dolmatov was a member of ‘Another Russia’ and was arrested last year after taking part in a large demonstration in Moscow against Vladimir Putin.
Dolmatov’s girlfriend has told Russia media that Dolmatov texted her earlier today so say his asylum application in the Netherlands had been rejected.
Yesterday Sunday 13th January the 37 sanspapiers on hunger strike in Lille since 02/11/12 decided to suspend their strike following promises from the préfecture to look at their cases.
The hunger strikers have been sheltering in the courtyard of Saint-Maurice church after they were evicted from inside the building.
Last Wednesday the préfecture met with a delegation from the hunger strikers. In a press release sent out on Thursday, the préfecture stated that it would look at the asylum cases of the hunger strikers and will try to process the most urgent cases within 14 days.
On Saturday there were numerous demonstrations across France in support of the hunger strikers.
A Gambian man has filed a legal complaint after he was forcibly injected with sedatives on a Swiss charter deportation, Le Temps reports.
Around 100 refugees, 35 of whom are on hunger strike, are currently occupying the Votivkirche (church) in Vienna, demanding their regularisation. (See photos here).
The refugees were formerly staying in the protest camp in a park in the city but this was evicted in the early hours of 28th December. This led to solidarity protests in Vienna and a number of other cities including Berlin and Salzburg.
See a timeline of the refugee camp protest here.