A man lost his life during the chase of a vessel carrying undocumented immigrants by a coast guard high speed boat. The killing took place this morning near the island of Kos.
According to preliminary information, the vessel had earlier debarked seven immigrants on the beach of Psalidi, Kos. It was spotted by the military watchtower of the island, who notified port police officials. During the chase of the vessel one man was shot dead.
Infomobile
information with, about and for refugees in Greece
The Greek government is about to use a drone to oversee its sea borders in the Aegean, one the of main avenues for immigration into the EU, in a pilot project. Athens’ Ministry of Shipping has issues a competition call for a drone that, according to the competition rules, has to be handed over to the authorities by the end of June.
Greece’s Shipping Minister, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis recently revealed that the country is receiving around 1,000 immigrants a month through the eastern Aegean Sea. Immigration flows have intensified in the Aegean since Greece put up a fence to close off its land border with Turkey alongside the river Evros in the northeast of the country. Immigration flows have also been affected by the deteriorioration of conditions in Syria. Continue reading ‘Ministry announces pilot scheme Greece to use drones to control Immigration’
BRUSSELS – Private security firms are bidding to guard EU-funded migrant detention centres in Greece amid a report by Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF), which says poor conditions in some of the facilities are causing disease.
Greek authorities received EU money to refurbish and renovate Fylakio Oresteiadas, a pre-removal detention centre located in a remote area near the Turkish border.
Greece now wants to outsource its security, along with two other pre-removal centres in Corinth and Paranesti Dramas, to a private security firm for €14 million a year.
Continue reading ‘Private security firms bid on Greek asylum centres’
Source: Global Detention Project
Introduction
Greece has been ground zero in Europe’s efforts to halt irregular migration for several years. At the same time, the country’s economic crisis has exasperated social divisions leading to increasing violence and hostility directed at foreigners.
With massive financial and operational assistance provided by the European Union, Greece has confronted migratory pressures by emphasizing interdiction, detention, and removal. A 2013 Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) report summarized: “Greece has focused on reinforcing its external borders and started a policy which relies too heavily on detention. Despite the Greek authorities’ determination to improve the asylum system and detention conditions, which in many instances remain deplorable, much still needs to be done” (PACE 2013). Continue reading ‘Global Detention Project: Detention Profile Greece – updated 2014!’
Protests in the big detention centres after declaration of an extension of the detention duration to more than 18 months
Today the authorities of the mass detention centres in Drama/ Parenesti, Komotini, Corinth and Xanthi informed the detained sans-papiers that they might stay even longer than 18 months, up to 24 months, or 36 or for an endless period if they do not co-operate with the authorities according to a new rule. In fact co-operation means here “voluntary return”. The only alternative is an asylum application.
It has to be noted though that according to the European Directive 18 months are the maximum period for administrative detention and this only if the deportation is feasible. Nevertheless, the greek authorities detain many people belonging to nationalities that can not be deported, such as Afghans, Eritreans, Somalis and even people from Syria.
copyright: Ta NEA 2013
The detainees in the so called pre-removal centres that opened with the initiation of Xenios Dias police raid in beginning of August 2012 have been already psychology broken by getting every three months the information of their prolongued detention for another 3 or 6 months. The limit of 18 months seemed already so far but at least gave a hope to an end of their imprisonment. Today the shocking information of even more time behind the bars led to uprisings, self-injuries and hunger strikes.
Yet it will become clear in the next days if the threat of another extension of the detention duration will get real or not when the next detainees complete 18 months. Reportedly a few of them have already received detention decisions that with an extension of the maximum detention period of 18 months for another 6 months – even before they have completed 18 months.
Médecins Sans Frontières holds EU co-responsible for harm inflicted on migrants and asylum seekers in Greek detention centres. European Union must stop turning a blind eye to the unacceptable practice of prolonged and systematic detention of migrants and asylum seekers in Greece, leading international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières says.
copyright: MSF
The prolonged and systematic detention of migrants and asylum seekers in Greece is having devastating consequences on their health and human dignity, a leading international medical humanitarian organisation has said.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said given that Greece currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), the European Union must stop turning a blind eye to these unacceptable practices in view of their serious medical and humanitarian consequences. Continue reading ‘Medicines sans Frontiers Greece: End systematic and prolonged detention of migrants’
331 refugees (267 men, 24 women and 40 children) from Syria and Egypt were saved from a fisher boat which had gotten in distress earlier in the sea of Kythira. They were transferred to Crete. The fisher boat had called SOS in the night of Sunday 65 nautic miles northwest of Crete. Two cargo ships of foreign flags, one greek tanker one ship of the US-Marine, a boat of the Greek coast guard, a fregatte of the greek navy and a helicopter of the greek coast guard got to the spot immediately.
efimerida ton syndakton (in greek)
update 4.4.14:
Today the Syrian refugees were left to go while the people from Egypt were kept and will be brought to detention – among the latter are reportedly many unaccompanied minors.
Hospitals are closed; detention centres opened
Aghia Barbara Hospital in Aigaleo, Athens has been announced to become one of the new detention centres for migrants in Athens adding to the alreaady existing 5,000 places in mass detention centres that were opened after August 4th, 2012 Operation Xenios Dias.
Antiracist organisations, labour unions, municipal movements and neighbours protested against the change into a detention centre and demanded the re-opening of the hospital. They stopped bulldozers from entering the to be construction site. Also the mayor expressed that there was no interest by the local government to accept this measure and that he would proceed to protect peoples lives. Consequently the re-construction was temporarily stopped but will continue after elections, Minister Dendias said. As he continued the government planned an open camp for men and women there and not a detention centre. Nonetheless and given the Ministers tradition in anti-migratory policies no one trusts his statement.
The government meanwhile plans to open also detention centres in other recently closed down hospitals of West-Athens such as the Therapeftirio Chronion Pathiseon Paidon in Sxistou and Skaramanga street.
efymerida ton syndakton (in greek)
left.gr (in greek)
efymerida ton syndakton (in greek)
Detention centres are called “pre-removal centres”; indefinite detention duration is called “protection from the poverty of freedom.
The Legal Council of State on February 11th issued a disgraceful opinion the detention duration of migrants / refugees (No. 44/2014). It pretty much says that after the expiry of the 18-month (maximum) detention of aliens, they can still be held for an indefinite period. This extended detention which is against European Law is called “caveat of compulsory residence in a pre-removal centre” and as such is only ending in case of co-operation for voluntary return.
If an immigrant is detained for more than 18 months in total following the previous deportation decision (Article 30 of Law 3907/2011 or 76 L.3386/2005 respectively), the implementation of which has not been feasible because of a refusal of cooperation of the immigrant himself, the competent authorities may, in a reasonable time before the expiry of the 18 months hand the immigrant a writing deadline for his voluntary departure from the country, according to the provisions of Article 22 of Law 3907/2011 and 76 of Law 3386/2005. If the immigrant still refuses to cooperate for the implementation of the deportation decision, the relevant bodies, when they find him to be reasonably suspect of escape may automatically by Articles 22 paragraph 3 of Law 3907/2011 or Article 78 of Law 3386/2005 impose upon him the measure of “compulsory residence in an area of detention” until he will consent and cooperated in implementing the deportation decision.
Continue reading ‘Greece wants to detain migrants now more than 18 months’
“I am seriously concerned about the introduction by the government of the amendment to Article 19 of the draft immigration code which would allow deportation following the rejection of any migrant’s complaint that they have been victim of racist or other unlawful violence by law enforcement officers.
This amendment is ill-advised and should not be adopted. In effect, it shifts the burden of proof onto the migrant complainants and introduces one more ground for deporting migrants who may have been subjected to unlawful violence but have been unable to substantiate their claims.
Continue reading ‘Commissioner Muižnieks calls on the Greek Parliament to reject the amendment to Article 19 of the draft immigration code’