Authorities in Venice on Wednesday, May 2, discovered a dead migrant, and a second man who was said to be in critical condition, after opening the luggage compartment of a truck that had been aboard a ferry which had set sail from the western Greek port of Patra.
The ferry had made a brief stop at the northwestern port of Igoumenitsa before continuing to Venice but it remained unclear whether any inspections had been conducted there.
A third man was said to have been in the compartment and to have emerged from his ordeal relatively unscathed.
Italian and Greek authorities are investigating the incident while the cause of the migrant’s death remained unclear.
information with, about and for refugees in Greece
Tag Archive for 'patra'
Watch: “Dublin’s Trap: Another Side of the Greek Crisis” (2012)
by Bryan Carter
A young sans-papiers collapsed when the people were trying to enter the aliens police
While an increase in the numbers of asylum recognition rate are proudly presented refugees have no access to asylum in Greece.
Continue reading ‘No access to asylum in Greece’
by Enri Canaj and Γιάννης Παπαδόπουλος
Watch the short documentary “Hellas-Hell” about Patras and Igoumenitsa (Spanish subs)
The young African man died a tragic death when a truck rolled over him today in the new port of Patras. The young Eritrean was trying to find a way out of Greece.
New report of Infomobile Greece, published in January 2012
LOST AT BORDER reports on the reality of loss and death at the Greek borders. As a close friend of ours said once: “If you are a refugee and you die nobody asks any questions. But for living somewhere, everybody is questioning you!” We want to break the silence and ask: What happened with all these people whose traces got lost?
Accidents and death at border belong unfortunately to the daily experiences of refugees trying to reach a safe haven. The European Border Control Agency FRONTEX in co-operation with national authorities are heightening and thickening the fences and walls around us, controlling and patrolling the borders and externalizing them to European neighbour states such as Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia a.o. 
They have created treaties of co-operation in deportations and huge refugee detention camps at the gates of Europe. Trying to cross a number of borders, among them the ones of Fortress Europe is a huge risk of death! The numbers are shocking: more than 2.000 people died in the Mediterranean Sea only in 2011. Each single person left behind a big gap in the life of relatives and friends.
LOST AT BORDER gives the voice mainly to refugees searching and mourning for their beloved. The report was made by a group of antiracist activists from different countries who have been already involved in the search of migrants who got lost at the border between Greece and Turkey. It can be quite difficult to find information on what has happened when somebody is missing at the border. Apart from the report we want to help and fill this information gap by a new Blog. We want to connect the relatives and friends of border victims to each other and we want to let you know and feel that you are not alone on this journey! We will never forget. We promise to overcome the murderous border regime and to continue our struggle for a welcoming Europe.
download lostatborder report
LOST AT BORDER – Blog
Report and Blog have been published by Infomobile
On January 5, 2012 in the early morning hours the police raided the old redundant textile factory of Peiraiki Patraiki where a group of sans-papiers has found a provisory refuge. 40-50 persons were arrested, clothes and other personal belongings were burned and Red Cards (temporary residence permits for asylum seekers) torn apart.
This letter was written and distributed on January 2, 2012 after another beating of refugees had occurred in Patras by the coast guard. The same day a young Afghan refugee died of suffocation in Patras while he was trying to resist the cold weather with his friends inside a truck were they lit a small fire. His two friends survived and are currently hospitalised.
In the name of god,
Since we were small kids in our home countries there was trouble, but we didn’t understand what this trouble was. Later we grew up and we understood that this trouble is war. The seasons were changing and every day became more difficult. On this way we reached today.
Since then and until today we are thinking about our future and what our destiny will be. When we were in our countries they were telling us lies. They told us in Europe we would find democracy and we would get human rights. But it is different here. To build up our lives we have to cross the borders. In Greece this is very difficult.
Continue reading ‘Letter of the migrants and refugees 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.
see clandestina
read the news in greek
indymedia athens (in greek)
fotos of the truck where the three boys were trying to warm up due to the very cold weather:
all fotos from indymedia athens
Clandestina
- First migrant detention center opens despite protestsA detention center for undocumented immigrants in Amygdaleza, northwest of Athens, started operating on Sunday, despite vehement protests by local residents and rights groups, with the transfer of dozens of migrants detained over the past few days in police sweeps in central Athens. Police said they transfered a group of 56 migrants in the […]
Group of Lawyers – Athens
- Joint call to protest on Friday 30 March 2012For the sixth consecutive week, the undersigning entities and organisations hereby issue an open invitation to attend our solidarity protest outside the Attica Aliens Directorate at Petrou Ralli, from Friday evening, 30 March 2012 until dawn Saturday, 31 March 2012 (05:00- 06:00 am). The police authorities in Attica- following their usual practice of the pas […]
the border is the problem
- “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 […]