15/09/2023
“I’ve served my sentence to the end. Why am I being punished a second time? Because I’m a foreigner? That’s discrimination.”
The double penalty is part of the arsenal put in place by the Foreigners’ Office to punish those who have once “disturbed the peace” or committed an offence. This practice enables the Foreigners’ Office to send people who have been living in Belgium for years back to a so-called country of origin. https://www.gettingthevoiceout.org/double-penalty-or-banishment-a-peculiar-method-of-racism/
During our contacts we hear that the Office practices this double punishment without any limits: men aged 50, 60, residing in Belgium for decades, with Belgian children and sometimes grandchildren are locked up with a view to their expulsion; They are , following offences, considered “a danger to public order” and have been stripped of their residence permit.
Testimonials: “I was in prison for 3 months for a small mistake I made 2 years ago. And they came to get me 2 years later to send me back to my country. I’ve been living in Belgium for 40 years. I’ve got children here who have come of age and have Belgian nationality. What is this bullshit?”
UPDATE: Two of these men were forcibly deported on the Frontex collective flight on 12/09/2023. One of them had applied for voluntary return https://www.gettingthevoiceout.org/deportation-avec-vol-frontex-vers-la-rdc-ce-11-09-2023/
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URGENT CALL for phone top-ups
We receive a huge number of requests for telephone top-ups from people detained in detention centers. Their phones are very often their only contact with the outside world, whether it be family, friends, their lawyer, or to make their situation publicly known.
Whether their arrest takes place on their migratory route, or where they live, whether their family and friends are here or back home, being able to warn and communicate with loved ones is crucial. Many of them would not have the means to do so without your help.You can support these prisoners by buying a 10-euro top-up from Lycamobile at your local grocer, nightshop or bookshop. Then send us the pin code printed on the top-up to our e-mail address gettingthevoiceout@riseup.net or by SMS to our telephone number 0032(0)484026781. We’ll send the code to any inmates who request it.
Alternatively, if it’s easier for you, you can make a payment or even better, a standing order of 10, 20 euros or more to our dedicated account:
Collectif Contre Les Expulsions Triodos Bank BE58 5230 8016 1279 BIC: TRIOBEBB Communication: Lyca
Pass this message on to your friends and acquaintances.
THANK YOU for them.
