50 Syrian sans-papiers who had been arrested in Crete and are currently detained in the police station of the islands city Iraklio started a hungerstrike on the 3rd of December protesting against the inhuman and degrading detention conditions. Three of them had to be transferred already to hospital. According to the detainees they suffer from hunger, lacking medication, they have no right to go outside even for using the toilette. Reportedly, they have become victims of police violence.
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Tag Archive for 'detention'
Page 12 of 14
According to Eleutherotypia newspaper, the “Ministry of Citizen Protection”, taking advantage of the new coalition government in Greece, where members of the far-right LAOS party participate, is planning to create two gigantic detention centers for immigrants in Athens. The two new detention centers “should be in the area of Attikovoiotia (close to Athens) with a capacity of about 5-6 thousand people, to offer real relief to the capital city”.
LAOS also demands the withdrawal of the citizenship bill, voted 1,5 years ago.
by clandestina
sea also: eleftherotypia (in greek)
Two detained Kurds from Iraq were severely maltreated, even tortured while they were in detention on remand. It began in the detention facilities of the appeals court and culminated in the cellar of Petrou Ralli aliens police detention. Guard from Koridallos prison where the detained victims were finally brought to became witnesses of the last beating in Petrou Ralli and of the highly injuries marking the bodies of the two Kurds.
The beatings began upon an argument the detainees had in the court with some guarding officers who had insulted them. They were brought into a room and beaten by a dozen of officers. Then instead of being transferred back to Koridallos prison they were brought to Petrou Ralli Aliens Police Directorate. In the cellar of the building the beatings continued. They were jumping on his back, stepping on their necks and on their face and spitting into their mouths. One of the officers hold his gun on one of the two sans-papiers and said: “I will kill you like a dog!”
One of the two sans-papiers fainted and had to be transferred to hospital of the prison. He was all covered with blood. Due to insufficient medical treatment possibilities he was transferred to the hospital “Red Cross”. On his own will he decided not to stay there fearing the police officers who were guarding him there. Both guards and the director of the prison reported the maltreatment to the authorities. The brutal incident is being currently researched by the internal affairs department of the police. Both of the victims reported their maltreatment.
http://www.newsit.gr/default.php?pname=Article&art_id=107249&catid=3
http://www.enet.gr/?i=news.el.ellada&id=327322
seven detained minors pending deportation were transferred to hospital after one of them put fire on a mattress in protest against their detention and claiming their rights as children.
the boys from Algeria, Palestina and Lybia are detainees in the special detention centre for minors in amigdaleza – a prison at the outskirts of athens.
ethnos newspaper, 7th of November (in greek)
eleftherotypia newspaper 6th of November (in greek)
In mid October 2011 there was some magic in the air in Evros…
The detention centres for irregular migrants and asylum seekers of Fylakio, Soufli, Ferres and Tychero saw a sudden change. They were painted, toilettes and showers were repaired, new blankets handed out, meal plans stitched on the walls and detainees were released or transferred to other regions of Greece. Within only a few days the whole image of the detention centres was changed for the eyes of a delegation form Europe and the Greek government. Even the detainees were for the first time since their detention (some had been there already 5 months!) allowed to have access to fresh air and walk in the yards.
The Federation of the Borderguards of Evros said in a recent press release that all renovations are of course welcomed, anyway, they insisted, that the delegation should have seen the detention centres under “normal” conditions, the ones the borderguards and the detainees have to deal with daily.
As the announcement of the borderguards said:
Very sudden money was found (for the renovation) and the number of detainees decreased. Within three days the facilities were painted, the plumbing was repaired and release papers were given generously. Why did they not leave things as we live them on daily basis?
Announcement of the Federation of Borderguards of Evros 19th of October 2011 (in Greek)
As announced by a GCR Press Release from the 31st of October 2011 the authorities of Evros and Rhodopi prefectures continue to readmit persons in need of international protection to Turkey where they are exposed to the danger of refoulement to their countries of origin.
On the 25th of September three Iranian detainees from Fylakio detention centre were readmitted to Turkey. They had informed the authorities about their wish to claim asylum. A GCR lawyer had sent a fax also informing the authorities about their cases. However, their claims were never registered.
On the 10th of October two Iranian nationals from Sapes detention centre in Rhodopi and on the 24th of October another two Iranian detainees were readmitted to Turkey although the authorities had been informed also in their cases by a GCR lawyer about their wish to claim asylum. In these cases the police misguided the detainees giving them papers to sign in Greek which they could not understand. The detainees thought they are signing their asylum claims, however, what they really signed was a declaration that they do not wish to apply for asylum.
See: Press Release GCR (in Greek)
“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
Continue reading ‘lostatborder’
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.
Continue reading ‘Frontex heavily criticised by Human Rights Watch for their involvement in Evros – and PR response by Frontex’
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.
We prisoners in Filakio need your help from the outside. We do not have access to other cells, we don’t get fresh air, the water is dirty, food is just enough to survive, we cannot go outside.
When someone is sick, we cannot reach the doctor for help. Again and again, people fall sick since the toilets are dirty. We want to leave this prison. The police is beating us again and again, on our hands, on our feet, they insult us endlessly. Nobody answers our question to what our future will be. There are even people that have gone crazy, and still we cannot leave. We are a lot of people, with different nationalities, in one cell.
We have not committed any crime, and we have not chosen this fate.
We have fled war, oppression and poverty to reach European democratic countries.Somebody tell us what is awaiting us, what will happen to us.
We prisons from Filakio, we are thankful that people are listening to us now.
Recently one of the prisoners went on hungerstrike. He fainted after 12 days of hungerstrike. After two days in hospital he was brought back to the prison cell. Nobody took note of his protest.
Press Release by the open Plenum in Orestiada against the repression in detention (in Greek)
See also: http://infomobile.w2eu.net/2011/09/12/situation-in-fylakio-in-september-2011/