The prison in the notorious Bosnian Camp Lipa, also known as the “Austrian Guantanamo”, which was illegally built in 2023 and has never been put into operation, must be demolished. This emerges from an official decision from the building authority of the Bosnian city of Bihać.
One and a half years after SOS Balkanroute made the illegal and secret project of the ÖVP-affiliated International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) public, the certified translation of the demolition notice was presented today at a press conference in Vienna – together with the Bosnian Minister for Refugees and Human rights Sevlid Hurtić. The ICMPD had previously criticized the NGO and its founder Petar Rosandić for their criticism of the ICMPD prison with an unsuccessful SLAPP lawsuit threatened.
Built on a cricket field without planning permission
“The on-site investigations show that the object, the so-called ‘detention unit’, was not covered by the city’s permit and the building permit, as well as that the user of the site has built an object that is the subject of inspection supervision – the so-called ‘detention cell’ – without the approval of the city planning office and without the prior building permit,” states the decision of the building inspectorate of the city of Bihać.
The Ministry of Security in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a partner of the ICMPD, has lodged a complaint against the decision.
“Burning of taxpayers’ money”
As is well known, Camp Lipa was built with 2/3 of Austrian tax money or 1.1 million euros (confirmed by parliamentary inquiries). The 500,000 euros for the illegal prison, however, come from the EU Commission. The EU’s responsibility for the project was borne by Orban’s man in Brussels, then EU Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi.
“The chronic disenfranchisement of refugees must stop, as must the burning of European and Austrian tax money at the EU’s external borders. The case of the illegal prison in Lipa is a case for the European Anti-Fraud Office OLAF. But the new EU migration commissioner Magnus Brunner is also required. Law and order must finally be established here,” demanded Rosandić.
The case is part of a series of allegations against the ICMPD. Most recently, Switzerland withdrew from ICMPD due to suspected corruption 1.2 million euro ICMPD project in Bosnia back. At the end of April, allegations were made by “Doctors Without Borders” that the Austrian Interior Ministry and the ICMPD played a role in the Supporting the Tunisian border police could have played, which has been criticized for its massive violence against refugees.
Amnesty International calls for a change of course in migration policy
“The demolition of the prison camp in Lipa shows that commitment to human rights works. SOS Balkanroute stood up for the rights of refugees despite SLAPP lawsuits and attempts at intimidation and achieved an important victory,” emphasized Shoura Hashemi from Amnesty International Austria.
Amnesty International sees the Lipa case as a frightening example of the EU’s migration policy: “The EU’s externalization policy is creating new suffering. European countries are shirking their responsibility while people fleeing find themselves in increasingly threatening situations. This policy must come to an end,” demands Hashemi.
5-year celebration turns into a demolition party
At the press conference tomorrow 5th anniversary celebration of the SOS Balkan route in the ARENA Vienna (starting at 6 p.m.) officially declared a demolition ceremony.
Attending the celebration and giving speeches will be not only the Bosnian State Minister for Refugees Sevlid Hurtic, but also the Vienna City Councilor for Social Affairs Peter Hacker, the Grandmas Against the Right, Klaus Schwertner (Caritas Vienna), Erich Fenninger (Volkshilfe), Maria Katharina Moser ( Diakonia) and many civil society actors.
With ESRAP & Gasmac Gilmore, Honigdachs Gang (Kreiml & Samurai, Monobrother, and many more), BAITS, Roman Gregory, and many more. there is enough music provided. You can find the entire program here.