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Sat, Feb 11 2012
Human Rights Watch: Greece must amend its immigration policy
The Human Rights Watch organisation has demanded that the newly elected Pasok government in Greece comply with European laws for immigrants and asylum seekers and cease illegally expelling asylum seekers across the Evros River into Turkey, according to a report on the organisation's official website on October 13 2009.
Immigrants who are headed for western Europe from eastern north Africa, the Middle East and as far afield as Pakistan and Afghanistan, usually arrive first on Greek shores because the country is the first EU member state they encounter. According to current legislation, asylum seekers have to file their applications for political asylum in the "first country they reach" but in Greece's case, the chances of them obtaining asylum are slim.
Greece is criticised for not complying with European laws and procedures but also accused of exposing people to the risk of ill-treatment, both in the country itself, and once its authorities physically expel the immigrants from its territory, by creating resentment with the authorities in Turkey, in this particular case.
"Greece should guarantee access for all migrants to the asylum procedure, and restore a meaningful appeals process," the report says.
The report demands immediate action from the Greek government and the European Union to "reform the country's broken asylum system".
Human Rights Watch cites shelters being destroyed in Patras and elsewhere, of children locked in detention facilities in the northern parts of the country, "of overcrowded, unhygienic conditions with insufficient food and untreated health problems".
"Greece's illegal expulsions have reached a new level," says Simone Troller, researcher at Human Rights Watch, "Migrants are now being arrested throughout the country and then pushed back to Turkey. Clearly, people who need protection are not safe in Greece. Greece's dysfunctional asylum system is entirely in the hands of police who create obstacles to filing asylum claims and deny asylum seekers fair hearings and assessments of their claims," he says.
Meanwhile, the Greek authorities have detained more than 146 000 illegal immigrants in 2008, whereas the number of arrested asylum seekers in 2002 was 58 000, Dnevnik daily reported on October 13 2009. Most arrive via Ankara, and the Greek authorities in turn accuse Turkey of having done nothing to help curb the immigration problem "which puts an increasing strain on the country's infrastructure and health care system".
The quarrel between Turkey and Greece reached a new high on September 21 2009, when during a co-operative Frontex patrol in the Aegean Sea, a Latvian helicopter detected a Turkish coast guard vessel close to the islet of Farmakonisi, which not only failed to thwart an immigrant smuggling vessel from entering Greek waters but actively assisted it, Greek daily Kathimerini reported at the time.
The pilots have submitted documentation and pictures on September 14 to European authorities, implicating a Turkish coast guard vessel providing escort for a smuggling boat into Greek national waters.
As a consequence of the ongoing trafficking and smuggling problem in the area and the inability of Greek and Turkish authorities to curb escalating immigration, the French government is said to have submitted a proposal to the EU’s council of justice and interior ministers, calling for Turkey, as well as Libya, to co-operate with EU member states in the drive to help minimise illegal immigration.
Immigrants who are headed for western Europe from eastern north Africa, the Middle East and as far afield as Pakistan and Afghanistan, usually arrive first on Greek shores because the country is the first EU member state they encounter. According to current legislation, asylum seekers have to file their applications for political asylum in the "first country they reach" but in Greece's case, the chances of them obtaining asylum are slim.
Greece is criticised for not complying with European laws and procedures but also accused of exposing people to the risk of ill-treatment, both in the country itself, and once its authorities physically expel the immigrants from its territory, by creating resentment with the authorities in Turkey, in this particular case.
"Greece should guarantee access for all migrants to the asylum procedure, and restore a meaningful appeals process," the report says.
The report demands immediate action from the Greek government and the European Union to "reform the country's broken asylum system".
Human Rights Watch cites shelters being destroyed in Patras and elsewhere, of children locked in detention facilities in the northern parts of the country, "of overcrowded, unhygienic conditions with insufficient food and untreated health problems".
"Greece's illegal expulsions have reached a new level," says Simone Troller, researcher at Human Rights Watch, "Migrants are now being arrested throughout the country and then pushed back to Turkey. Clearly, people who need protection are not safe in Greece. Greece's dysfunctional asylum system is entirely in the hands of police who create obstacles to filing asylum claims and deny asylum seekers fair hearings and assessments of their claims," he says.
Meanwhile, the Greek authorities have detained more than 146 000 illegal immigrants in 2008, whereas the number of arrested asylum seekers in 2002 was 58 000, Dnevnik daily reported on October 13 2009. Most arrive via Ankara, and the Greek authorities in turn accuse Turkey of having done nothing to help curb the immigration problem "which puts an increasing strain on the country's infrastructure and health care system".
The quarrel between Turkey and Greece reached a new high on September 21 2009, when during a co-operative Frontex patrol in the Aegean Sea, a Latvian helicopter detected a Turkish coast guard vessel close to the islet of Farmakonisi, which not only failed to thwart an immigrant smuggling vessel from entering Greek waters but actively assisted it, Greek daily Kathimerini reported at the time.
The pilots have submitted documentation and pictures on September 14 to European authorities, implicating a Turkish coast guard vessel providing escort for a smuggling boat into Greek national waters.
As a consequence of the ongoing trafficking and smuggling problem in the area and the inability of Greek and Turkish authorities to curb escalating immigration, the French government is said to have submitted a proposal to the EU’s council of justice and interior ministers, calling for Turkey, as well as Libya, to co-operate with EU member states in the drive to help minimise illegal immigration.
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The Sofia Echo
Agree completely - Greece, Italy, Spain have problems enough. These
countries in particular and the EU
in general cannot help the vast numbers of people who want to come over. What about the human rights of
EU citizens? high unemployment especially among the youth-
what about their human rights?
Well, for once I sympathise with the Greeks, and they need (as the south-eastern "bulwark" of the EU against Asia) maybe a bit more practical help from the rest of the EU. Buildind an East-German style physical frontier along the Evros / Meritsa river boundary may be the only way.
Greece at the moment has enough problems by itself,cannot be paradise for immigrants as it is
not paradise even for Greeks
Build up that damn Wall and make
Turkey take care of its "Bakshish"
driven immigration smuggling policy.AS for the Watch they are tackling the tenth of the Iceberg leaving the dirty work of the nine tenth hidden to countries like italy and Greece which are "in situ" more exposed.
from what i saw in greece of recent,greece is no more place to live and am pleading that immigrant there should be given the opportunity to seek asylum in other country.because the thing they call asylum is just a white papper printed by the police and will be stamped every month,it is useless because no health inssurance card no working permit and no garrantee that you can use it to go other europe country.so i want united nations to look into this because its hard now in greece for immigrant there.
eu say we have to much care of human rights but there is very bad position in greece a amigrants is like a theaif so un shouls be involve there should be same poliecy for imigration like other eu member states
If Human Rights Watch is about protecting humans, they should complain heavily to the source of the whole problem which is America. Or at least let them go to the warzones and poor countries and feed those people. Have they done anything on those directions? and have they done half work? Because then there are just as bad as Greece and Turkey and they should be quite.
Secondly if greece gives to many asylum then it is more likely that:
1) they will go to other european countries through greek passports and that is something the [...]
Read the full comment majority of Europeans countries don't want it.
2) if they stay in Greece they will be mostly jobless and therefore create illegal businesses.
Lastly, as if the 500000 that annually go to Europe through It, Sp, Gr can all be served by the Asylum that is ridiculous. Human Rights organizations are becoming annoyingly blind. Greece does better.
SECEND HOLOKASTR IS HAPPENING SHAME ON EUROPEAN NOW THEY ARE DOING HOLOKASTR AGAIN IN GREECE
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained foul, abusive or discriminating language
United nation is the umbrella for catering for immigrant in another country whatever that make the living to leave his or her home to secure and nourish this life that has no duplicate...but people Greece not even pay their assylum seeker the money U.N gave them as salary but instead use them as personal salary...the immigrant wanted to leave Greece because of the negative characters of the people in high post..but still will detain the immigrant and be eating his or her U.N backed salary for taking care of ones self..Immigrants in Greece doesnt like Greece because of dirty atmosphere [...]
Read the full comment and the unfuctioning operation of Greek born cleaners...Greek is infact a poor country and they should help in allowing their immigrant to leave their poor country.
Well - for once - I agree with everything that everybody has posted. Europe as a whole should give Greece the resources (= money and manpower) to effectively police its frontier and send the "refugees" (= opportunists and probable criminals) back whence they came.
Turkey does not come out of this story at all well.
How on earth can Greece expect to financially support 146,000 immigrants when there is high unemployment? Human rights should try to help with funding - to feed clothe and support.
How on earth can Greece expect to financially support 146,000 immigrants when there is high unemployment? Human rights should try to help with funding - to feed clothe and support.
I agree with the title, Greece needs to amend its immigration policy by rounding up all the illegals and sending them back to where they came from. Greece is a small country and can't afford to take care of all these people. If they wish to enter, they need to come through legal channels and stop breaking the laws of Greece. When you broke the law, whatever the reason, you still broke the law. If laws aren't respected, then a society will cease to exist.
For once I agree entirely with <<Greek Macedonian>> - Greece cannot be expected to handle this number of refugees, most of whom have illictly come via Turkey anyway. So it is reasonable for Greece to deport them back into Turkey.
If Human Rights Watch want to get cross with anybody, they should get cross with Turkey instead.
Well said and keep up the good work Greece let the idiots in Brussels sort it out its there mess,they created the problem.
then let the Human rights organization pay the costs.
Greece cannot afford monetarily to accomodate such a huge amount of monetary refugees . Greece has ten million population lets get a little realistic we cannot handle it.