Monthly Archive for November, 2012

Greek Coast Guard Stops 90 Illegal Migrants in the Aegean Sea

Published on November 30, 2012 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , .

The Greek coast guard on Friday detained 90 migrants, among them thirteen children, off the eastern Aegean coast, radio reports said.
Officials were alerted to a vessel ferrying 36 illegal immigrants, among them six woman and six children, near the rocky islet of Farmakoniki in the eastern Aegean.

In a separate incident, the coast guard detained 22 people, among them two women and three children as they were sailing in an inflatable raft near the tiny island of Agathonisi, off the coast of Turkey.
Officials also stopped 32 illegal immigrants, among them nine women and four children, off the island of Kasoniki, near Samos.

source

Racist attack in Kalithea, Athens – hospital reports migrant victim to the police

Published on November 30, 2012 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY0Bwy_rJ6Q&feature=player_embedded#at=13

On Friday 30 of November fascists of Golden Dawn attacked in the market of Kalithea (Aristeidou / Xarokopou street) two migrant street vendors (from Egypt and Pakistan). They were attacked and robbed. The man from Egypt is hospitalised with severe injuries on his head. The man was hospitalised in Tzanio hospital with injuries in the face and on his back. Suddenly, the police appeared in the hospital. Shortly after having his wounds stitched the injured man φελτ threatened by arrest ανδ before the medical examinations had even finished disappeared in order to go home where he felt secure.

This happens only two days after the incident in Agioi Anargiroi Hospital where an undocumented woman with cancer had been reported by the director of the hospital himself to the police for being undocumented.

Only one month ago fascists together with the police had attacked again migrants in the area of Kalithea, the officer using his gun to beat migrants on their heads.

indymedia athens (in greek)
tvxs (in greek)
the insider (in greek)

Solidarity poster for the struggle of migrants in Corinth and Komotini detention centres

Published on November 30, 2012 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

Solidarity poster for the detained migrants in Corinth and Komotini whose protests against imprisonment and detention conditions were violently cracked down by riot police with tear gas and beatings. In Corinth 24 of the protesters and in Komotini 55 of them were criminalised for their protests and brought to the court.

– This poster is spread in Patras by the Initiative against the statal, social and civil fascism.

2012: Solidarity poster (in greek)

Undocumented migrant woman with cancer under custody in hospital

Published on November 30, 2012 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , .

An undocumented migrant woman – bedridden due to cancer – is currently hospitalized in a public hospital while under custody. The hospital director reported her to the police although her family had already paid the costs of the hospital for her.

The woman had been transferred from Metaxa hospital to Agioi Anargiroi hospital for an urgent operation. Following the operation her relatives paid the hospital bill since she is undocumented and thus also not insured. Then the director of the hospital Mr. Bartzokas reported the woman to the police because she was undocumented – resulting in the woman being under custody in the hospital while bedridden.
Continue reading ‘Undocumented migrant woman with cancer under custody in hospital’

Criminalisation of activists in Samos / Press Release Group of Samos

Published on November 30, 2012 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , , .

MOVEMENT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
SOLIDARITY TO REFUGEES

SAMOS 20/11/2012

Briefing report

In 2010 members of the Movement continued to visit the detention centre of Samos on a weekly basis. Following serious allegations we received by detained refugees and given their inability to address the competent authorities by themselves, we gathered all acquired information and wrote a letter to the Ministry of Citizen Protection requesting to be informed about the manner in which deportations are carried out.
The letter was communicated to other humanitarian organizations as well as the Police Headquarters of Vathi town in Samos. The authorities not only refused to answer our questions concerning the treatment of the detained refugees, but they also forwarded our letter to the prosecutor, asking him to press charges against the member of our movement who had sent the letter in question for alleged defamation and false statements.
Subsequently, the Prosecutor ordered a preliminary examination, in the context of which all Board members of the Movement were asked to testify about this jointly drafted document. Even though the allegations of the Hellenic Police against our Movement were proven unsubstantiated, the judicial authorities nonetheless pressed criminal charges against the specific member of our Movement who had sent the document and ordered her referral for trial on 6/12/2012 on grounds of “false reporting to the authorities”. Continue reading ‘Criminalisation of activists in Samos / Press Release Group of Samos’

Call for Solidarity from Mytilini, Lesvos: New arrivals of refugees / PIKPA opened

Published on November 29, 2012 in Syndicated and Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , , , .

CALL FOR SOLIDARITY

Since yesterday (28.11.12) the civil society has managed to temporarily win the struggle for an open first reception centre with the authorities agreeing to transfer all the unregistered to PIKPA – a place also used once before during noborder Lesvos 2009 for the same purpose. About 70 refugees – among them pregnant women, small children and even a 10-day-old baby. Immediately both police and citizens started bringing even a few more freshly arrived. PIKPA is a summer camp construction, which is now not in a condition to be inhabited, thus, the local population together with the refugees try to make it more comfortable, to re-store the water connections etc. and to bring food for the persons hosted there. This ad hoc solution still needs a lot of support in order to become an official open reception centre, now still being a temporary solution.
There is a great need of support of any kind!

Foto: K. Koukoulis


Continue reading ‘Call for Solidarity from Mytilini, Lesvos: New arrivals of refugees / PIKPA opened’

Ministry investigates racist violence against migrants by Greek police

Published on November 26, 2012 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , .

Internal Affairs is currently investigating a number of charges against law enforcement officers, who allegedly tortured migrants in 2012. The accused officers in many cases seem to be closely co-operating with fascists of Golden Dawn party. The criminal behaviour of the officers includes charges of insult, ill-treatment and theft and even torture. The public prosecutor has ordered to crackdown any relation between the police and golden dawn.

21/10/2012 – Municipal Theatre Pieraeus
According to to the complaint, police officer took her out of detention wards two prisoners, struck them with fists and kicks and put another prisoner to beats them. In response to the reaction of another prisoner to the event, the police officer took him out of the ward as well and bate him with punches in the face, while he was also routinely insulted them with racist expressions.
Continue reading ‘Ministry investigates racist violence against migrants by Greek police’

Racist attacks in Greece: A Fotoreportage in progress, by Giorgos Moutafis

Published on November 24, 2012 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , .


Hasan 33 years old from Sudan, attacked by a group of racists in the center of Athens.

A CROSS ON HIS BACK

Hassan Mekki, a 32-year-old Sudanese migrant who fled conflict in his country in hope of a better life in Europe – suffers silently.
In August, he and a friend were walking in Athens when black-shirted men on motorcycles holding Greek flags came up and knocked him unconscious with a blow to the head, he said.
When he came to, he was covered in blood. Only later would he realize that his attackers, whom he says were likely tied to the far-right Golden Dawn party, had left large gashes resembling an “X” across his back.

“I don’t have the right papers, so I can’t go anywhere to ask for help,” Mekki said. “I can’t sleep. I’m scared, maybe they will follow me, and my life is in danger now.”

In the latest criticism of Greece’s handling of migrants, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on migrants’ rights condemned Greece for doing little to curb rising racist attacks. Much of the violence went unreported because victims were afraid of deportation if they went to the police, who were sometimes involved in the attacks, Francois Crepeau said.

text source: reuters (in english)

Uprising in Komotini detention center now!

Published on November 23, 2012 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , .

Following the events of last Sunday in Corinth detention centre, on Friday 23 of November, the detainees of Komotini started an uprising to protest against detention and demand freedom. Left.gr reported that repeated gun shots have been heard from within the prison and smoke was seen. Parliamentarians form Syriza are heading towards the prison to see what is going on after the police confirmed the information on an uprising. Extra police forces are on their way to “control” the situation.

Continue reading ‘Uprising in Komotini detention center now!’

Hungers strike of migrant detainees in Mytilini and racist attacks against homeless newcomers

Published on November 21, 2012 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

On Tuesday November 20 some of the migrants detained in Mytilini police station for undocumented entry into Greece through the Turkish border started a hunger strike in order to protest against the humiliating detention conditions and the long detention periods. They struggle for freedom. It is not known how many of them continue the struggle and if some have been already released or not.

Arrivals of migrants have started again this summer, fastly exceeding the capacities of detention cells in the local police stations of the island. Due to the general order “to keep them as long as possible in detention” overcrowdedness amongst others has been reported throughout the four months to worsen the detention conditions. Continue reading ‘Hungers strike of migrant detainees in Mytilini and racist attacks against homeless newcomers’