Tag Archive for 'migration policy'

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New border crossings into Greece: A revival of the old routes in the Aegean?

Recently the greek news are talking of a revival of the old routes into Greece through the Aegean islands. Since two years Evros has been the main entrance for sans-papiers into Greece with steadily increasing numbers of arrivals. Since the beginning of the governments massive pogrom against sans-papiers in Athens but also in Evros and the further periphery in the beginning of this August, numbers of arrivals have been shrinking in Evros and increasing again slightly on the islands of the Aegean (mainly: Mytilini, Samos, Patmos, Leros, Symi etc.). In August 397 sans-papiers were arrested on the Aegean islands compared to 168 in 2011. The greek government following this increase and the medial hype around the “revival of the island routes” asked Frontex for more support in controlling their sea borders. The request concerns 4 additional aircrafts, 4 coast guard ships and specialised extra staff.
Concerning the fate of the arriving sans-papiers, as it seems, the authorities on the islands have the order to keep new arriving sans-papiers as long as possible in detention on the islands and not transfer them to Athens. In some cases solidarity group denounced the lack of access to the asylum procedure for the detained. In a long-term perspective if arrivals will continue and grow this could result in the creation of new detention places on the islands (or the re-opening of old ones). It is yet unclear if the slightly increasing arrivals on the islands can be interpreted as another change of routes or if it is more of a short term phenomenon. Clearly, the medial referral to a “revival” of the old routes and de facto arrivals of the last days anyway also lead to an increased use of a fascist discourse by some people within the local societies (i.e. in Symi but also elsewhere).

read also the press release of the Doctors Without Borders on the situation on the islands (in english)

In Samos the local solidarity group published a number of press releases concerning the very poor detention conditions of newly arrived Syrian and Afghan refugees (among them also children, women and UN-recognized refugees from other countries) and the lack of access to the asylum procedure for the about 50-60 refugees. Since a few days the Syrian refugees are on hunger strike protesting their inhuman situation.

see also earlier post with the press releases

In Mytilini the last month there have been also repeated arrivals (50 and more in the last period). Sans-papiers seem to be detained in the police stations of the island.

In Symi a boat carrying 38 sans-papiers was seemingly shot by the authorities and thereafter sank (on September 4th). The passengers were saved and are in detention now. In total there were about 100 (or more) arrivals in this period. The police station does not fit any more detainees so that the new arriving have to stay in the yard and next to it in outside spaces. The Doctors without borders are offering some medical first aid, while the police is responsible for the catering. At the same time during a recent municipal council on the island one of the speakers proposed to call members of the fascist party GD (golden dawn) to “solve the problem” and “so that the guys don’t allow the boats of the coast guard to disembark the sans-papiers on the island”. The mayor of the island at some point said: “if nothing happens (from the side of the government?) then we have to tak the weapens and protect our island!”.

In Leros a few days ago 60 sans-papiers arrived – originally having arrived on Farmakonisi. Amog them were also small children. They were all detained in the yard of the coast guard and the police station.

see: indymedia 4.9.12

In Rhodos 20-30 people were reported to have arrived in the last days. At the same time their are rumours about the construction of a new detention centre on Kos island.

Irregular Migrants Face the Boot in Greece – by Apostolis Fotiadis (ips news)

Irregular Migrants Face the Boot in Greece
By Apostolis Fotiadis

ATHENS, Aug 29 2012 (IPS) – A crackdown on irregular migration has entered its fourth week in Greece. The government is shutting the Greek-Turkish northeastern border across river Evros, and removing massive numbers of undocumented migrants from big urban centres into makeshift detention camps.

Continue reading ‘Irregular Migrants Face the Boot in Greece – by Apostolis Fotiadis (ips news)’

Turkey signs deal with EU’s border agency

Turkey has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with FRONTEX, the EU’s border management agency, to cooperate against illegal immigration, amid expectations that the EU will soon give the go-ahead for visa liberalization talks with Ankara.
Continue reading ‘Turkey signs deal with EU’s border agency’

Further constructions in Amigdaleza detention centre on hold

220 undocumented migrants are detained currently in the first of the planned 30 new detention centres. The Ministry of Citizen Protection is planning to continue the construction after the elections and to move on with the creation of the second new type detention centre also in Attica and the third in Deskati, Grevenon.

tvxs (in greek)

Joint Letter to UN Special Rapporteur on Health

Human Rights of Immigrants and Sex Workers in Greece
MAY 9, 2012

To: Anand Grover
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health
OHCHR – Palais Wilson
United Nations Office at Geneva
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland

Dear Mr. Grover:

We are writing to call your attention to two issues of urgent and serious concern in Greece: (1) the administrative detention and compulsory medical testing of immigrants and asylum seekers based on health status and (2) the arrest, criminal prosecution and compulsory HIV testing of sex workers.
Continue reading ‘Joint Letter to UN Special Rapporteur on Health’

Fotos of Amigdaleza detention centre

fotos by Yanis Lakos

First detention centre opened in Amigdaleza, Athens a week before the elections

On Sunday (April 29) the first 56 migrants were transfered into the new detention centre in Amigdaleza, Athens. The detention centre consists of 52 containers each built for four detainees. The containers are split into three sections and the area is guarded by the Greek police.

Continue reading ‘First detention centre opened in Amigdaleza, Athens a week before the elections’

Racist discourse and police operations go on in Athens’ centre

The government continues with its’ pre-election campaign against migrants and refugees. Publicised sweep operations and a medial discourse on “illegal migrants as hygiene bomb” have built the grounds for a racist agenda. These racist measures and medial games are used as much as the opening of the new detention centre near by Athens to win votes for the elections.
Continue reading ‘Racist discourse and police operations go on in Athens’ centre’

Cells of police stations in Greece overcrowded

In a recent article the conservative newspaper Kathimerini wrote that the temporary detention cells of police stations have turned to overcrowded prisons. An estimated 700 detainees over capacity are detained per day.
The police uses this fact in order to request for “new solutions”, obviously demanding new prisons as propagated in the past month from the government in it’s discourse of constructing “new hospitality centres”, meaning deportation prisons for the undocumented.
Nevertheless, the fact that the cells of the police and borderguard stations are overcrowded is a sign of a dysfunctional and repressive migration policy and once more mirrors the devastating, inhumane and degrading detention conditions of all detainees in Greece.
kathimerini in Greek

At the same time the motor cycled police team “DIAS” has been enforced in Attika area with another 1.000 officers patrolling now more often and in more districts of Greater Athens.
Kathimerini in Greek

“Walls of Shame”

Accounts from the Inside: The Detention Centres of Evros
new report by Pro Asyl

Obviously, Europe’s main concern is the creation of »walls« in order to hinder or to prevent the access to its territory. Physical walls like the fence, the moat and border controls in Evros but also invisible walls that are constituted by the lack of protection to those in need, rights denials, systematic detention, detention and living conditions violating human dignity, Readmission Agreements and the Dublin II Regulation. The effects of these heightening walls have their most tragic face in the many lost and dead at border. This is why we chose to speak about walls of shame in this report.

Walls of Shame (download report in English)