In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the detention unit in the Lipa migrant camp near Bihac is being criticized, and the director of the Austrian organization that built this facility, Michael Spindelegger, told the Austrian media that the European Commission requested its construction.
Der Standard reports that, according to International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) Director General Michael Spindelegger, the container system costs 500.000 euros and should offer space for twelve people. He told the APA agency that people who could endanger other people in the camp should be kept there for a maximum of 72 hours.
Moreover, he said that the ICMPD got involved in the construction of the facility because the European Union (EU) Commission requested it, and that it was desirable to build it as soon as possible. Spindelegger added that the facility was completed in January and that it should now be handed over to the BiH authorities.
For Sevlid Hurtic, Minister of Human Rights and Refugees of BiH, the biggest problem is that this facility is located on the territory of a refugee camp. He said that refugees should not have “any contact with criminals”.
The media in BiH announced at the beginning of April that the prison in the Lipa migrant camp was built without a construction permit, which should have been approved by the Bihac city administration, but that the ICMPD never contacted the Bihac authorities in this regard.
Asylum seekers would be among those detained
In the meantime, Spindelegger also spoke and stated to the APA agency that all the necessary permits have been secured.
“Before we did anything, we asked the owner, that is, the Ministry of Security of BiH, and (…) it was said that all the necessary permits had been obtained and that we could start construction,” he explained.
However, the camp has a lot to do with asylum policy, which was allegedly confirmed by the spokesperson of the European Commission for Der Standard. It is allegedly a multipurpose center for migrants who would be “taken care of and identified” there.
“In certain cases, restrictions on freedom and arrest are possible until a final decision on asylum or repatriation is made,” it is stated.
It is also stated that the prison premises were “designed in accordance with international standards”, N1 reports.
