UNHCR Greece Press Review 21-25 May 2011

UNHCR Greece Press Review 21-25 May 2011

Suspected smugglers open fire on police-Frontex officers in Evros

Four Greek border guards and two German officers, dispatched to the Greek-Turkish border by Frontex, emerged unscathed on Friday (20/5) after four suspected Turkish smugglers opened fire on them with hunting rifles. The smugglers had been preparing to disembark a group of nearly 100 migrants onto an islet in the River Evros, when they spotted two police patrol vehicles on the Greek side of the border. The suspects fired their guns in the air at first and then at the two vehicles which were a few hundred metres away. Neither the Greek nor the Frontex border guards returned fire but contacted the Turkish police that arrested a group of 97 people including the suspected smugglers. According to the Head of the Evros police officers’ Union the number of irregular immigrants entering Greece via the Evros River has increased to more than 100 per day following a brief lull.

(Kathimerini, Eleftheros Typos, Ethnos, Makedonia, Aggelioforos, Avgi, Express, Imerissia, Avriani, Eleftherotypia, 21 May/ Makedonia, 22 May)

Local reactions to announcement for detention centres

Announcement by the Citizen Protection Ministry on the establishment of 10 detention and 5 first reception centres to host over 5,000 irregular migrants has caused strong reactions in respective communities, fearing rise in criminality. According to “Initiative against Detention Centres for Migrants” in Evros, the prevailing opinion among the local community is that citizens are able to accept only improvement of living conditions in existing centres, but not the creation of new ones. Several representatives of local authorities of Igoumenitsa, Sparti, Aspropyrgos, Amfilohia, Xiromero and Elliniko have also expressed opposition to the creation of centres.

(Avgi, Eleftherotypia, 21 May/ Eleftheros Typos, 22 May/ Demokratia, 23 May)

Citizen Protection Minister: “Immediate repatriation for illegal migrants”

In an interview on Sunday’s “Eleftherotypia”, Citizen Protection Minister Christos Papoutsis heralded that the government is proceeding with “the immediate repatriation of illegal migrants” and urged all citizens, local communities as well as local authorities to demonstrate a positive attitude towards the government’s planning especially with regard to the establishment of detention and first reception centres. Papoutsis stressed that “we have the obligation to create modern facilities that respect human rights”.

(Eleftherotypia, 22 May)

Data on asylum applications

According to recently released data on asylum procedures, first instance asylum committees have received since 10 January, 2,159 claims, of which they have examined 2,078 and accepted 161. Second instance committees have received 1,730 applications, of which 272 have been examined and 147 rejected. As far as the backlog of the 47,000 pending asylum applications is concerned, 464 persons have been invited since 20 January, 189 of whom have presented themselves before the committees.  148 asylum claims were examined and 11 were rejected.

(Kathimerini, 21 May)

Repatriation flight for 40 Afghans

40 irregular migrants from Afghanistan who opted to voluntary repatriation departed from Athens on Monday (23/5).  Irregular migrants signing up for the repatriation program are given a ticket and 300 euros each. Their return is assisted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and police officers stationed at the airport. The plane's departure marks the start of the second phase of the repatriation program, since another 500 third country nationals -all lacking travel documents- are expected to be voluntary repatriated by the end of June. Another 586 irregular migrants have already been returned to their homelands during the first phase of the program.

(ANA-MPA, Naftemporiki, Ethnos, 23 May/ Kathimerini, Adesmeftos Typos, Ethnos, Avgi, Express, Chrimatistirio, Rizospastis, Vradyni, City Press, 24 May)

UNHCR delegation visits the Dodecanese

A delegation of the UNHCR Office in Greece in the framework of the program "Asylum Management in Greece", met on Friday (20/5) with the Deputy Regional Governor of the Dodecanese Fotis Hatzidiakou. UNHCR representatives were briefed on the various issues raised by the local community with regard to irregular migration. The Deputy Regional Governor referred to local authorities’ efforts to ensure reception conditions for migrants, highlighting the tolerance demonstrated by the local community but also the citizens’ strong concerns for security.

(sky.gr, 20 May)

Violence through the eyes of migrants

Racist violence against migrants in Athens centre has reached explosive dimensions in the aftermath of the murder of a 44-year-old Greek male early in May. Despite that the family of the 44-year-old has publicly denounced the exploitation of his death by the ultra nationalist group “Chryssi Avgi”, migrants’ testimonies of racist incidents rapidly spreading around are indicative of the prevailing atmosphere. “Yesterday a young Greek woman together with a young man passed me by as I was walking down the street. Suddenly the woman started to beat me on the head with a big wooden stick”, said Ali, a 20-year-old Afghan. “This happens every day in Athens centre for a long time. They beat everybody”, he added. Hassan, a 9-year-old Afghan boy was attacked together with his brother and their mother as they were on their way for the kitchen soup provided by Athens municipality. “My legs hurt me so much. I had to run a lot these days”, he said. 23-year-old Ahmad from Egypt is standing scared outside an apartment building. A few days ago he was attacked by five Greeks who raided into his home. “Police were there, watching everything”, he said.

(Kosmos toy Ependyti, 21 May)

Thousands of migrants in squalid conditions in Athens centre

Municipality services have registered over 400 sites in the centre of Athens (derelict buildings, bus shelters, parks, etc.) where homeless people including many undocumented migrants sleep in squalid conditions, among rubbish and rats.  More than 2,000 migrants living in the triangle of Geraniou, Pireos and Sofokleous Streets are practically homeless. According to a report by the Greek Ombudsman, a great number of irregular migrants live in rented apartments of the centre in conditions that are beyond all tolerable limits of decent human living. Meanwhile, owners rent inadequate rooms at extremely high rates. Ahmed from Somalia lives with his wife and five children in a 10 square metres room that he rents for 200 euros per month.

(Ethnos, 21 May/Ta Nea, 23 May)

Greece following Spanish model for Evros fence

Greece is studying Spain’s use of border fences, in two of its cities on the North African coast, ahead of the construction of a similar barrier to irregular migration in the northeastern region of Evros. The construction in Melilla consists of 11 kilometers of parallel 3-meter high fences topped with barbed wire, with video cameras, regular watchtowers and a road running between them to accommodate either police patrols or ambulances. The fence in Ceuta is similarly equipped. “The construction of the fences in Ceuta and Melilla has produced results,” said Deputy Labour Minister Anna Dalara. There is also a reception centre there, which helps for the proper treatment of undocumented migrants (medical care, social and psychological support, legal aid etc.) Dalara also noted that Spain had not just relied on fences to tackle immigration problems but has also put into place integration policies in which local authorities play a big part.

(Kathimerini, 24 May)

    

Intercultural mediators to be placed in 21 hospitals

109 trained intercultural mediators will be placed in 21 hospitals in Athens and Thessaloniki in order to help immigrants communicate with hospital staff in their language and explain their medical history. According to specialists, immigrants’ access to public health services will contribute to their integration in the Greek society.

(Ethnos, 25 May)

Asylum granting – an impossible dream

Asylum seekers in Thessaloniki may wait up to 2 years to be granted a pink card, according to a report by the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) that was presented during a seminar titled “Political Asylum and immigration: Challenges for Greece and Europe” that was organized by the Aristoteleio University of Thessaloniki and GCR. This was the case of an asylum seeker from Nigeria who was holding an “Administrative Note” from the local Aliens Directorate for about one and a half years instead of the pink card which he received in April 2011 after having submitted his application in October 2009.  Moreover, foreigners who want to apply for asylum do not receive proper information on the procedure, while there is also a lack of interpreters.

(Avriani, 21 May)

Composer’s comments on migrants cause stir    

Comments by the respected Greek composer Dionysis Savvopoulos, according to which undocumented immigrants living in central Athens, should be sent to sparsely-inhabited Aegean islands for farm work under the aegis of the UN Refugee Agency, has caused a stir. Speaking to Athens municipal radio Savvopoulos said that the problems being caused by a burgeoning population of irregular migrants in the city’s historic centre were overwhelming and called on authorities to declare a state of emergency and remove all migrants from the area. “Athens cannot become the dumping ground for all these people,” Savvopoulos said, noting, however, a few days later that “legal migrants and people entitled to asylum should not be affected”.

(Kathimerini, 20 May/ Vima, 22 May)

Please note that UNHCR bears no responsibility for the accuracy and content of the press summary, which is based on external news services and does not necessarily reflect the views of UNHCR.