argia.eus
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Some of the migrants who have been on hunger strike in Brussels for two months are on a thirst strike
  • On Friday the arrests of several people began, who had been on hunger strike for two months. The fact that there have been no changes in time has motivated the decision to increase the protest.
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Argazkia: Bartholomäus Laffert

More than 400 migrants have been on hunger strike since 23 May in the church of St. John the Baptist in Brussels and on the two campuses of the Free University (ULB) and the University of Vrije (VUB). The Belgian Government aims to ensure the regulation of migrants, but since there have been no changes in this way in two months, some people on hunger strike have also decided to start a thirst strike. Last Friday, some twenty people started a "thirst" strike and, as they have indicated, "if we have to die to receive the documentation, we will die".

Shortly after the thirst strike, the health situation of the concentrates began to worsen dramatically. Following the Red Cross report issued by the Red Cross, the Government sent a health team to the church to treat and treat all patients admitted to the hospital.

The 430 migrants started a hunger strike with the view that negotiations with the Belgian Government’s Secretary for Asylum and Migration, Sammy Mahdi, were not moving forward. Mahdi was not willing to talk about collective regularization. According to the NGOs, there are currently 476 unemployed called for indefinite strike, according to The Guardian in a statement.

Pending the decisions of the Government

Earlier this month, the UN Human Rights and Extreme Poverty Officer, Olivier De Schutter, visited the strikers and, subsequently, the UN Migrant Human Rights Officer, Felipe González, sent a letter to Mahdi. The latter has not been in favor of the collective regularization of migrants, since it is in favor of investigating each case individually.

On Tuesday, PS President Paul Magnette spoke of "progress" following Mahdi's appointment of a mediator to manage the situation and a dialogue with the associations. It remains to be seen what decision the Government will take.