Tag Archive for 'border deaths'

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Afghan refugee died today in Patras

Τhree Afghani youngsters (between 15-20 years old), who had recently arrived in the port city of Patras, were temporarily sleeping in the cabin of an abandoned truck in the old redundant textile factory of Peiraiki Patraiki. In order to keep warm yesterday during the cold night (Monday, January 2), they lit a fire in a small vessel. There was no window or opening in the room, doors were shut, and the lack of oxygen caused the suffocation to death of one of the boys. The other two were taken to hospital and are in a critical condition.

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fotos of the truck where the three boys were trying to warm up due to the very cold weather:

all fotos from indymedia athens

December 27, 2011: Three migrants die on border crossing in Evros

While trying to cross the landborder between Greece and Turkey in Evros (nearby Feres), three sans-papiers died close to the river Evors/ Maritza.

An Iranian women (50 years old) and her 12-year-old son were found at the coast. The third person was a man from Africa approx. 25-30 years old. He was found near to Petrades/ Didimoticho. As it seems all of them died due to the cold weather after trying to swim through the river.

One more dead sans-papiers found in Evros

The corpse of a man, probably 25-30 years old, was found near to Peplos, Evros. He was trying to cross the border by swimming through the river Evros/ Maritza.

Two refugee boats saved in the Ionian Sea

Two refugee boats that had departed from the Greek coast towards Italy were saved on monday by the Italian Coast Guard. The approx. 80 refugees were mainly from Afghanistan. They had been one week on the sea. Most of them were dehydrated, without food and water when they were found.

16-year-old sans-papiers killed in FRONTEX-aided police pursuit in Evros

A 16-year-old boy from Syria, trying to enter Greece from Turkey, lost his life in a police pursuit in the border region of Evros on Thursday, December 1, 2011. The boy was found dead when the vehicle driven by a smuggler lost control and was overturned in the area of ​​Makri, Evros.

The incident happened when Greek border policemen and officials of FRONTEX tried to immobilize two vehicles carrying sans papiers immigrants, moving on Egnatia Odos towards the city of Komotini. The smugglers speeded up and managed to escape.

After a while there was a second attempt by the police to stop the vehicles, at the Makri junction. One of the vehicles crashed, while the second managed to escape. In the vehicle, policemen found a 36-year-old smuggler, two injured immigrants and the dead 16-year-old boy from Syria.

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lostatborder

“We wanted to cross the border at the river in two boats. We were many people and two boats. We entered the second boat. 13 persons in a boat for 3! For some reason our boat got into a slipstream. It turned around and we all fell into the water. It was night. Some of us hold on to the boat and reached the Turkish coast. Me and my daughters were carried away by the stream together with another woman and three men. We couldn’t swim. I was struggling to keep myself over the water level in order not to drown. I just heard my daughter shouting: Mum, help me! Then the Turkish border guards found us and pulled me out of the water. I told them about the others and they searched some hours for them without any results. After release from detention in Turkey we crossed again into Greece and went directly to the police. We told them that we lost our children and asked for help. They brought us into another prison.”

S. looking for his friend Saaid in the river


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Terror and Fear in the Open Sea near Zakynthos – Letter by the Afghan Commission of Political Refugees

Athens, 28th of September 2011

Terror and Fear in the Open Sea

In the open sea close to Zakynthos a group of 65 Afghan and Iraqi-Kurdish refugees experienced days of terror and fear when they were trying to reach the Italian shore. They were in serious danger of death by drowning and starvation when their boat went into distress. Among them were many children and families. One of them lost his life, while trying to save himself by swimming. Two others took their last breaths in the hospital, following their rescue after 11 days on the open sea.

refugees in an overcrowded boat trying to find a safe haven


The tragic story of refugees and migrants who are forced to leave behind their home due to war, poverty and persecution takes no end. Among the refugees in the boat many had already lost relatives on the sea and land borders on their way from Afghanistan and Iraq through other countries and until here. Their tragic stories continue in Greece, a country, which in the name of crisis and a repressive migration policy of Fortress Europe denies providing refugees with their basic rights, with a functioning reception infrastructure and integrating them into social and economical life. This gives the extreme-right a leeway to target them both ideologically and in practice on the streets and to use them as scapegoats of a policy of poverty and misery. It leads the refugees and migrants to a further quest for a safe life in another country – whatever it may cost.

This incident is not rare but it is a tough reality with many victims. Many boats in distress, many deaths at the borders – and the European governments are well aware of it.
Following this tragedy some of the survivors returned to Athens, among them a single father with his two small kids (4-6 years old) in his arms, searching for some corner on the squares and streets of Athens. In their hands the deportation order, which the police authorities gave them without asking where they will go or what they will eat. Nobody asked them if they need protection or if they want to claim asylum.

Respectfully,

The Commission of Afghan Political Refugees

another ship in distress in the Ionian, 23rd of September

On Friday, September 23, a small boat that was trying to get to Italy carrying 65 Kurds and Afghans sans-papiers, broke 90 miles southwest of the island of Zakynthos. When port police reached the vessel only 32 immigrants were aboard. A helicopter participating in the rescue operation managed to save 30 immigrants that have fallen in the sea. Late in the afternoon, the same helicopter discovered the bodies of 3 sans-papiers who drowned at sea.

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Dublin-Deaths between Kerkyra/Greece and Bari/Italy (15th of January 2011)

The following testimony of Amin Fedaii, a 16-year-old afghan refugee, is alarming. More than 20 refugees (mainly from Afghanistan) died while trying to flee from Greece and to reach their relatives and friends in other European countries.

I felt very queasy, I was in the bottom of the ship and tried to sleep. I was not really sleeping I was so afraid. I was drifting away.


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