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.
Continue reading ‘Dublin-Deaths between Kerkyra/Greece and Bari/Italy (15th of January 2011)’
Έντυπη Έκδοση Ελευθεροτυπία, Δευτέρα 11 Ιουλίου 2011
Της ΓΕΩΡΓΙΑΣ ΔΑΜΑ
Ενας ακήρυχτος πόλεμος εξελίσσεται τα μεσάνυχτα από την Ομόνοια μέχρι το Μοναστηράκι. Αστυνομικά μπλόκα στην οδό Μενάνδρου προσάγουν μετανάστες χωρίς χαρτιά για έλεγχο. Κάποιες άλλες ομάδες με πολιτικά ρούχα κάνουν τις δικές τους εκκαθαρίσεις. Κυνηγούν με μοτοσικλέτες μετανάστες, τους εγκλωβίζουν κι όποιος γλιτώσει γλίτωσε…
Continue reading ‘Σκούπα από το κράτος, ξύλο από το παρακράτος κατά μεταναστών’
Interview with the refugee N., from Eritrea
23rd of May 2011, Komunisia
by infomobile
N. spent a very long time in the mountains of Igoumenitsa. With 10 months he belongs to the experienced men on the mountain. He has been deported from Italy several times. Still he never lost his hope that one day he will get out.
The truck to the other Europe
How long are you in Igoumenitsa?
In Komunisia here? I have longer than ten months. More than ten months here!
What did you expect from coming here to Igoumenitsa?
You know, the reason for my coming to Komunisia, I am suffering too much bad in this country. I need to leave this country. For this reason I came to Komunisia. Unfortunately, during these days we are suffering from a very bad situation: from the police and from the racist people, from the civil society here in Komunisia.
Interview with the two refugees A. and Y., from Sudan
21st of May 2011, Komunisia
by Infomobile
A. and Y., refugees from Sudan talk about their living-conditions in Igoumenitsa, the second largest port from Greece towards Italy. We are sitting in the mountain, looking at the port-area of “Komunisia” how the refugees call it. A few hundred refugees from all war-zones of the world are living on this mountain. Some days ago, at the 3rd of May, the refugees’ settlements in the mountain have been attacked by fascists out of a demonstration.
Waiting room Komunisia: One minute feels like one year on this mountain
Continue reading ‘“You always wish it’s your last day here in Komunisia.” – interview’
The Minister of the Protection of the Citizen, Mr. Papoutsis, on Thursday (5th of May) discussed in a meeting with the mayor of Igoumenitsa, Giorgos Katsinos and the parliamentarian of Thesprotia prefecture form PASOK party, Christos Katsouras, about improving the co-operation among the Greek police and the Greek coast guard, the strenghtening of controls in the area and possibilities to get rid of the migrants in Igoumenitsa. The increasing controls will be practiced according to the German example of internal border controls (30km zone along the borders) in order to avoid to undermine the Schengen Treaty. The Ministry is trying to find places in all over Greece in order to build up so called first reception centres (translation: detention and deportation centres). This means: more police, more coast guard officers, more controls, more arrests, more detention centres, more sans-papiers in detention, more deportations…! Is this the “human solution” the local government of Igoumenitsa and the people attending the protest against the migrants at the 3rd of May were asking for?
See (in Greek):
http://tvxs.gr/news/τοπικά-νέα/συνάντηση-παπουτσή-για-τους-μετανάστες-της-ηγουμενίτσας
http://news.kathimerini.gr/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_1_06/05/2011_441150
12 refugees detained in Soufli border guard station in the region of Evros started at the 28th of April 2011 a hunger strike in protest against the detention conditions and demanding freedom. Among them are: 5 Iranians, 3 Iraqis, 2 Syrians, one Turk and one Nigerian. Six of them are asylum seekers. The average detention time of the hunger strikers varies from 10 days to more than 5 months!!!!!
Due to the inhuman and degrading detention conditions in Soufli border guard station which has an official capacity of 25, but hosts in average around 130-160 sans-papiers or even more, the hunger strike becomes more and more difficult and dangerous for their lives. The struggling refugees drink only water, salt and sugar, which they have to buy in order to have access. Out of the originally 12 strikers, thus, now have remained 7.
See the latest article about the hunger strike (in Greek):
http://tvxs.gr/news/ελλάδα/σε-απεργία-πείνας-μετανάστες-κρατούμενοι-στο-σουφλί-έβρου
The reform of the Greek Asylum Procedure was welcomed by Europe in the beginning of 2011. We ask: Is it really an improvement?
As far as one can observe until now the new asylum law is only selectively being applied. Additionally, the new procedures confront severe practical obstacles. We have not seen any improvement for refugees in Greece only a worsening of the situation. Migration and asylum policy are the very heart of the civil society and the state. Can we afford to look the other way and ignore severe human rights abuses of the most vulnerable parts of our society? There is a great importance in denouncing the continuance of human rights violations and, thus, in fighting against a European propaganda that will soon enough again beautify and mask the tragic reality of refugee life in Greece in order to protect the Dublin II regulation and start again the returns/ deportations of refugees back to Greece.
Berlusconi is “cleaning his backyard”
As far as we know, Italy readmitted for the first time refugees via the sea way and in a great number from the inland of the country to Greece. 
81 sans-papiers from war torn countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq, women, minors and other vulnerable persons were arrested on their way through Italy and towards the European “golden” North, deported by ship to Patras and from there transferred to Athens.
Continue reading ‘Mass Readmission of 81 refugees from Italy to Patras / Greece – 20.04.2011’