Refugee Freedom March Violently Repressed

On Sunday evening (June 29), a large number of Immigration Authority inspectors, Riot Police and special police unit ‚Yoav‘ raided a temporary protest encampment located near the Nitzana border crossing with Egypt where approximately 750 asylum-seekers who have been detained in Holot were staying.

Within approximately 90 minutes, using excessive force (watch video), tear gas and pepper spray, the police forces managed to load all the refugees onto buses. The buses took the refugees to Saharonim prison where they were sentenced in a speedy proceeding by a Ministry of Interior clerk who is not a judge, most of them to three months in prison and some of them to six. Once they complete the sentence, the asylum-seekers will be transferred back to the Holot open-air detention facility where they will be held indefinitely, unless they succumb to the pressure of the Ministry of Interior and „voluntarily“ return to their homeland.

The asylum-seekers never exercised violence – some of them clung to trees, some sat on the ground, while others walked to the buses accompanied by policemen. Despite this, the policemen and inspectors resorted to violence which resulted in dozens of injuries. Three of the asylum-seekers were evacuated to Soroka hospital for medical treatment.

Read more about the protest and what led to it on our blog

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Immigration Authority inspectors use force to evacuate the encampment of the protesting refugees. Photo: Oren Ziv/ ActiveStills

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