a Kosovar migrant released after 28 days of imprisonment thanks to popular mobilization
This Wednesday, November 10, around thirty people gathered at the Jean-Baptiste Lallemand school in Dijon (Côte-d’Or) to welcome the release of a Kosovar arrested in October. After 4 weeks in an administrative detention center, he was released. But his situation remains to be regularized.
On October 11, a Kosovar living in Dijon (Côte-d’Or) was arrested by the police. Sent to the administrative detention center in Metz, this father of three was released on Monday, November 7 after 28 days of imprisonment. This November 10, his support committee, made up of local associations, parents of students from the Jean-Baptiste Lallemand school, where his two youngest daughters are enrolled, and his family come together to greet the good news.
A small victory that Louisa, the eldest daughter of the one who has lived and worked in France for 10 years, welcomed with reluctance. The 21-year-old young woman could not hide her emotion as she spoke in front of the thirty people gathered at the entrance of the Lallemand school on Wednesday morning. “I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Everything was a bit hard for us. But I felt happy to be accompanied”, she explained.
Neighborhood center, parents of students and mobilized associations
It is the young woman who contacted associations of aid to migrants following the arrest of her father. “I was so worried and anxious… I walked over to them”, entrusts us with the one who studies in industry. Louisa was able to count on the help of the collective of asylum seekers and migrants who bring together associations including the League of Human Rights (LDH) of Dijon. “We immediately negotiated with the prefecture. The school principals, the elected representatives of the parents of the pupils also wrote to the prefect. We alerted the elected officials. I think that all of that helped.”, breathes Paul Garrigues, co-president of the local section of the LDH.
We had everyone’s support, I’m really happy. Parents of students, associations that help migrants like us …
The support committee relied on two fundamental elements to obtain the release of the Kosovar: the father fulfills all the conditions to be regularized and the right of the children not to be separated from their parents. As a reminder, France has signed an international convention which guarantees this right to minors.
But the situation of the man who settled in Dijon remains to be regularized. If his imprisonment has not been extended, he can still be arrested until January 26. “The prefecture decided to release my father. We were happy. But he is still in danger”, explains Louisa. With the help of associations, his father should soon submit a file request to the prefecture. “We will follow the processing of the request”, assures Paul Garrigues.
In the past, the man has already asked to regularize his situation. “Every time he sent a file, it was rejected. The reasons, we don’t know!”, says Louisa, who has a residence permit in France. “It’s not isolated, regrets the head of the LDH in Dijon. On a number of people who could quite possibly be regularized. And it blocks. We think there is a real global problem “.
As for the father of three children, he should soon be reunited with his relatives after nearly a month of detention in Metz.