Former Austrian Vice-Chancellor Michael Spindelegger, the political father of Sebastian Kurz and the president of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) organization, claims that they have a building permit for the construction of an inhumane detention center within the “Lipa” camp. This case caused a great storm and divisions among the ruling coalition in Austria.
After denying that they financed the construction of the detention unit in the “Lipa” camp, now, having transferred all responsibility to the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), they admit that they are behind everything.
In Austrian television news at 1:00 p.m., they admitted that they were behind the facility, which the Minister of Human Rights Sevlid Hurtic called “disgusting”, and many non-governmental organizations talk about the scandal from a human rights point of view.
“The detention center was made for 12 people and meets all the standards required by such an institution in Europe. We have all the building permits, and we have followed all the regulations. The claim that it is Guantamo in the Balkans is absurd,” Spindelegger says.
The whole “case of the Lipa prison”, as written by the Austrian media, became the subject of discussions in Austrian politics, and it slightly shook the ruling coalition between the conservative People’s Party, which subsidizes the ICMPD with 3 million euros, and the Green Party, which has different views on asylum policy.
“The role of ICMPD should be clarified, as well as what it is actually about. Austria, if it invests somewhere, should ensure that all human rights are ensured. Imprisoning someone without an asylum procedure is unacceptable, and that is why we are asking for an investigation,” said Green Party representative Ewa Ernst-Dziedzic, who also announced her arrival in Bihac on Wednesday.
At the same time, she wants to see the detention unit on the spot herself and talk to the mayor of Bihac and the prime minister of the Una-Sana Canton (USC). The Social Democrats are demanding a parliamentary investigation.
The largest opposition Social Democratic Party of Austria reacted to the strong inscriptions about Lipa in the Austrian media.
“The non-governmental organization SOS Balkanroute is talking about the participation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the federal state of Upper Austria in Lipa. They will check with the parliamentary unit what the case is about and seek answers from the authorities,” announced Reinhold Einwallner, spokesman for the Social Democratic Party, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.
