Author Archive for momo

Page 47 of 52

Frontex heavily criticised by Human Rights Watch for their involvement in Evros – and PR response by Frontex

Published on September 21, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , , .

Human Rights Watch published today, on the 21st of September 2011 a report about the Frontex operation in Evros underlining the international responsibility on the human rights violations against sans-papiers and asylum seekers in the detention centres of the region.

paranoiex securitex frontex


The EUs dirty hands
The EUs Dirty Hands: Frontex Involvement in Ill-Treatment of Migrant Detainees in Greece

Frontex reacted immediately with a press release:

FRONTEX’S REACTION TO HRW REPORT
Warsaw, 21 September 2011 – Frontex welcomes the revised report of HRW and is satisfied to note that its comments on the original draft were taken on board. The report now highlights an issue, which we agree, is of great importance.

A Frontexian in Evros


We would like to recall that Frontex fully respects and strives for promoting Fundamental Rights in its border control operations which, however, do not include organization of, and responsibility for, detention on the territory of the Member States, which remains their exclusive remit.
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Letter by the Afghan Community: Concerning racist attacks in Athens

Published on September 19, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , .

On the 18th of September the Afghan Community of Greece sent a letter to the Prime Ministers’ office in order to inform him of the continuing racist attacks against refugees and migrants in Athens and demanding for an immediate intervention by the authorities. The letter was a reaction to a huge number of racist attacks in the last three years, specifically, the last violent aggression of the beginning of August. Three persons had attacked an Afghan asylum seeker with a knife leaving him behind with severe injuries. A witness reported the racist attack and filed charges against the aggressors. The trial is going to be at the 27th September. It is one of the rare occasions when victims of racist attacks actually step away from their fear in order to report the violent act against them. It is also one of the rare incidents when the police actually accepted to register the report of a racist attack.

One of the most fatal results of the race motivated attacks is that they divide us as human beings when we need unity and solidarity the most. In the middle of the financial crisis, immigrants are able to contribute up to a level, promoting Greece abroad and taking part in the financial activity of the country. Racism can become a serious threat to the coexistence of cultures and social progress.

Read the letter in

english
greek

read the press release by the UNHCR (in greek)
PR UNHCR

racist attacks in athens continue

Published on September 18, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , .

In the recent days repeated racist attacks take place in various neighbourhoods of Athens.

Yesterday, 17th of September the court case against

Friday night (September 16), 2 Afghan immigrants were attacked outside their home. When they saw a group of thugs approaching, scared they tried to run away but did not manage to escape. The gangs attacked them leaving one stabbed! The victim suffered two wounds, one next to the heart and another one just below. One person was arrested but the rest of the fascist gangs escaped and continued their attacks at St. Panteleimonas square beating up another Afghan. The arrested facist was brought to the court on Saturday 17th of September. The court was postponed for three days.
indymedia
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Debate about reintroduction of internal border controls in the EU: The EU-Commission wants to take the decisions itself

Published on September 16, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , .

Will there be again border guards at the internal EU borders? France and Denmark have temporarily recovered their border control guards. Now the EU-commission has made a proposal for the reintroduction of internal border controls under specific circumstances and preconditions.

According to the proposal of the 16th of September, decisions on the reintroduction of internal border controls at specific European borders should be made by the commission in the near future and not by the member states themselves. Germany, Spain and France already announced their disagreement. While the commission wants to hinder the solo of EU-member states, these insist on the national sovereignty rights.
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The Greek police brought us to the border, silently like the smugglers, then they pushed us back

Published on September 13, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

Evros: Push-back of Afghan unaccompanied minor October 2007

The fourth time I tried to enter Greece I came through Evros. The police arrested me and my friend who was also as young as me. We had to discuss a lot until they accepted us to be Afghans. They did not give us food until the next day. Nobody asked how old we are. They only asked our names. They brought us to Tyhero prison, they took our money and mobile phones. We were 200 persons in each cell – in total 400, I think. At least it was like in this in the night we were deported. Minors and adults were all together. We stayed five days. Then they put 50 of us into a truck in the night. After one hour we arrived at the river. We were waiting inside the truck. There was the sound of the Turkish soldiers. We could hear it inside the truck. They started again driving. In another place near the river on a dust road we were told to leave the truck in groups of 20. There were soldiers, civil police, border police. They told us to walk silently and don’t make any noise. Then we had to sit and wait. Then they put us into small inflatable boats – each 20 persons and two Greek police officers. They brought us to the Turkish side and told us to leave. Then they returned. The whole prison was returned to Turkey! Not all from one place, in groups of hundreds they spread us along the border. There were Palestinians, Pakistani, Afghans, Iranians… all boys and men.

another two racist attacks in Athens

Published on September 13, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , .

12th September 2011

I would like to tell you about my sad day. I want to let you know how much I suffer and how blood-shat over me painfully during the tragedy that happened to me. I am alone, helpless, justice-less and with the absolute violation of my humanity. I was attacked by five persons today. When I was going to my work they beat me without any reason. I shouted for help but nobody responded. Continue reading ‘another two racist attacks in Athens’

Fire in refugees’ home in patras

Published on September 12, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

Around the 8th of September unknown people set fire on a barack where asylum seekers were temporarily living in the transit-port of Patras.

As A., an Eritrean refugee reported:

I have been homeless in Athens. I have been homeless in Patras. I have been homeless in Igoumenitsa. I applied for asylum. Now I am again homeless in Patras. I live on the beach and in ruins. Police is hunting us every day.
A few days ago somebody lit fire on the ruin we were living in. I think it was the racists. Everything burned. All our belongings. My AFM (tax number), my work permit, my clothes. Everything. I am left now only with my Pink Card (asylum seekers temporary residence permit) but what is it worth? What can it do for me? I am still homeless and unprotected.

Transit in Patras


Following a number of police raids in the last months, currently, there are very few sans-papiers and asylum seekers left in Patras. The ones who have remained suffer, as K. from Somalia tells us:

“I only stay here because I don’t have any other place to go! There is no chance to leave from here for Italy. Very very few manage. The new port is very dangerous. Police is hunting and beating us, they even have dogs. My Pink Card got tear up by my former employer who didn’t want to pay me for the work I did. Now it is almost one month that I am only with a copy of my Pink Card. They say, I cannot get a new one if I don’t have an address in Patras, but where should I get it from? Two days ago a police control arrested me. I asked them to go and catch the copy of my Pink Card, but they didn’t let me go. I was in prison for two days. I am understanding more and more about this country. Nothing good to tell!”

64 sans-papiers deported by Italy back to Patras, 9th of September

Published on September 8, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , .

As reported by local newspapers for the second time within the last year Italy is deporting sans-papiers by ship back to Greece. 64 sans-papiers are at this moment detained inside the ferryboat Ioanian Queen and guarded by 50 Carabinieris. They will arrive tomorrow morning in Patras. The deportation is reported to be based on the Dublin II regulation, but it remains unclear if there was any other legal ground on which this deportation was decided. While most European countries have stopped deporting sans-papiers back to Greece due to the European wide recognition of the ongoing human rights violations and degrading living conditions, Italy obviously continues. Italy itself is together with Hungary has been after Greece criticised more and more and became the next candidates for a struggle to stop Dublin II deportations back there.

local news in Greek

Giving back names and dignity to lost migrants

Published on September 7, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , .

Fountain to remember the dead and the missing at the Greek-Turkish border in Tichero (Northern Greece)

John lost his wife Jane and Tahera her husband Bashir in the Evros River. They represent hundreds of other migrants who drowned in the water, were killed by landmines or are still missing. Their dead bodies were treated disrespectfully: In 2010 we discovered a mass grave in Sidero where the corpses could not be identified. We returned to give back a piece of dignity to the dead and also those who survived.

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I came here to Greece in order to save my life, now, they took even my body away from me

Published on September 4, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

Patras, August 2011

Two refugees from Sudan talk about their lives in an emptied city. Patra has been the second exit-port after Igoumenitsa that the greek police raided in 2011. In the center of the city one cannot see any immigrants anymore. In repeated sweep operations the authorities destroyed a number of provisory housing sites and arrested hundreds of sans-papiers. In the summer of 2011 only very few refugees remained at the rims of the city marginalised and displaced.

Continue reading ‘I came here to Greece in order to save my life, now, they took even my body away from me’