Via Danish Refugee Council – 19 NGOs decry conditions at the site, now worse than ever, and call for sustainable solutions to both decongest the islands and improve conditions across first receptions centres in North Aegean Sea.
Tag Archives: Aegean Islands
Deportation Monitoring Aegean and Legal Centre Lesbos Publish Joint Report
STOP DEPORTATIONS TO TURKEY
People trapped on the Greek Islands are deprived of basic rights
Via Deportation Monitoring Aegean and Legal Centre Lesbos – Since the EU-Turkey Statement, more and more people seeking protection in Europe are deported directly from the Greek Islands to Turkey. According to the European Commission, at least 2,224 people have been deported to Turkey since the implementation of the EU-Turkey deal on 20th of March 2016.
This article was originally published by Deportation Monitoring Aegean, Legal Centre Lesbos.
Greek migrant camp workers on Lesbos go on strike to protest overcrowding
Via Daily Sabah – Workers at a camp for migrants on the Greek island of Lesbos said Friday they will go on strike to protest overcrowding, as the government conceded conditions were “near impossible.”
This article was originally published by Daily Sabah.
UNHCR urges Greece to address overcrowded reception centres on Aegean islands
Via UNHCR – This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Charlie Yaxley – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency is today urging the Government of Greece to address the situation in Aegean Sea Reception and Identification Centres (RICs), commonly known as ‘hotspots’.
For more information on this topic, please contact:
- In Geneva, Charlie Yaxley, yaxley@unhcr.org, +41 79 580 87 02
- In Athens, Leo Dobbs, dobbs@unhcr.org, +30 694 866 8989
- In Athens, Boris Cheshirkov, cheshirk@unhcr.org, +30 695 185 4661
This article was originally published by UNHCR.
Memorial for drowned refugees completely destroyed on Lesvos UPD
Via Keep Talking Greece – Unknown perpetrators on the island of Lesvos have completely destroyed the memorial dedicated to the refugees who have lost their lives in the Aegean Sea.
They have even removed the base of the memorial made of concrete.
This article was originally published by Keep Talking Greece.
ERCI Press Release against accusations
Via ERCI – With great concern we witness and observe the ongoing investigation regarding members of ERCI. We categorically deny the accusations while we are alarmed by seeing reports mentioning that the total amount of 30 individuals who are involved in the case belong to our organisation something that can’t be verified by the official case file. Οn the contrary, within the group of the 30 individuals, there are people of other NGOs or independent volunteers involved in the ongoing investigation.
Αs soon as they were called, the staff and volunteers of ERCI came before the authorities in Lesvos voluntarily and in accordance to the requests, to provide explanations and be questioned about the current investigation.
Greece arrests three people for allegedly assisting migrant entry
Via ECRE – Three nationals of Syria, Germany and Greece, have been arrested in Lesvos, after an investigation by the Greek authorities implicating 30 people in all in a criminal case of facilitating entry of third-country nationals. The three are associated with the organisation Emergency Response Centre International (ERCI) that has issued a press statement denying the allegations.
This news where published as part of the ECRE weekly newsletter
New Report: An Island in Despair
Refugee Rights Europe published a new report on the living conditions of refugees on the ‘prison’ island Lesvos after a research delegation travelled to the notorious island of Lesvos in Greece in June 2018, to document the human rights situation experienced by refugees and displaced people there.
Click here to read the continue to the full report
Click here to read Refugee Rights Europe’s Press Release: Lesvos at Breaking Point
‘Hero’ Syrian swimmer arrested by Greek police for helping migrants reach Lesbos
Via The Telegraph – Greek police have charged a Syrian “hero” refugee, who was once hailed for saving people from a sinking boat in the Mediterranean, with helping migrants illegally enter the country.
Sara Mardini, 23, who has settled in Germany, was arrested last week in what police said was an operation to dismantle a “criminal network” involving 30 members of an NGO working on the island on Lesbos, where thousands of migrants are living in camps.
“For me, this is clearly a case of criminalising help given to refugees,” Haris Petsikos, her lawyer said, adding that she is being detained in a prison outside of Athens. He said Ms Mardini, who denies the charges, had been volunteering on the island for Emergency Response Centre International.
Continue reading ‘Hero’ Syrian swimmer arrested by Greek police for helping migrants reach Lesbos
Lesvos prosecutor files against 30 NGO members facilitating migrants trafficking
Via Keep Talking Greece – Greek authorities have struck a blow to a NGO suspected to have been involved in facilitating the illegal arrivals of refugees and migrants to the islands of Lesvos and Samos. The NGO was mainly operating on the island of Lesvos and the hot spot of Moria. Investigation that has lasted several months has reportedly found out that the NGO was systematically active in the facilitation of the illegal entry of migrants and refugees to Greece.
Continue reading Lesvos prosecutor files against 30 NGO members facilitating migrants trafficking