Via New Internationalist – After a two-year wait, five humanitarian volunteers who wanted to help refugees land safely have been acquitted. Tim Baster and Isabelle Merminod report from Lesbos
Tag Archives: Solidarity
Memorial to remember victims of shipwreck off Lesvos on 24th of April 2017
Via W2EU Infomobile – On 24 of April 2018 one year had passed since 22 people among them two children lost their lives in the boat accident north of Lesvos. Rescue teams managed many hours later to rescue two women alive, one of them pregnant in the 8th month.
Sylvie and Joelle and the little girl Victoria, born in Mitilini just one month later, came again to Lesvos to remember this year. Together with the rescue teams of Refugee Rescue / Mo chara and with the activists from Watch the Med Alarm Phone and Welcome to Europe they returned to the place the rescued women and also the dead bodies had been brought one year ago.
Foto: Marily Stroux
Also the spotting teams who still care every night at the beaches to spot boats on the way from the Turkish to the Greek side, Lighthouse relief and The Hope Project, joined the invitation to the three women.
On 22nd of April we travelled with the survivors on the ferry to Lesvos. At the ships restaurant we introduced them and their story to the crew who have been really touched to have survivors on board. Continue reading Memorial to remember victims of shipwreck off Lesvos on 24th of April 2017
Moria 35 Trial Ends in Conviction of 32 – But After 9 Months of Unjust Detention, the 35 will Finally be Free!
Press release by Legal Center Lesbos, 28.04.2018 – While all 35 defendants should soon be released from detention, a gross miscarriage of justice took place today at the Mixed Jury Court in Chios, Greece where a ruling of guilty was declared against 32 of the 35 defendants. The 35 were arbitrarily and violently arrested in Moria camp in Lesvos on 18 July 2017 following what started as a peaceful protest outside of an EASO office. This inherently unsafe verdict, reached despite an overwhelming lack of evidence, follows a week long trial which continuously violated fundamental principles of a fair trial under Article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights and brings into serious question the impartiality of both the Judges and Prosecutor in the case. Continue reading Moria 35 Trial Ends in Conviction of 32 – But After 9 Months of Unjust Detention, the 35 will Finally be Free!
Op-Ed: Moria 35 – Trial at the Gates of Fortress Europe
Via ECRE – Op-ed by Carlos Orjuela and Lorraine Leete of Legal Centre Lesbos.
“On the 20 April, we are scheduled to attend trial in Chios after waiting nine months, trapped on Lesvos, while 30 of our brothers unjustly have waited in prison for this same time period. Our humanity has been denied since we stepped foot in Europe, the supposed cradle of democracy and human rights. . . We are treated like criminals, simply for crossing a border that Europeans can freely cross.” An excerpt from the Statement by 5 of the Moria 35 Defendants.
Today begins the trial of the Moria 35, which will determine the fate of 35 individuals arrested following a protest outside the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) in Moria Refugee Camp on 18 July 2017. The stakes are high in this inherently political trial. The 35 face criminal charges for which they may receive 10 years in prison and probable deportation if found guilty.
Continue reading Op-Ed: Moria 35 – Trial at the Gates of Fortress Europe
Relative of victims in Agathonisi shipwreck speaks
A relative of victims in Agathonisi shipwreck speaks at a demonstration in Athens and asks central questions.
Social Center Kapılar in Izmir needs financial support!
Kapılar is a unique community hub in the heart of the Basmane district in Izmir, Turkey. It is a bustling social centre where people meet and organise to make friends and share skills and knowledge. As an independent organisation, they rely solely on private donations from friends and those who support our work, both in Turkey and abroad. Now, they ask for support to help continue their vital work and projects in 2018!
*** Click here to proceed to the Fundraising page *** Continue reading Social Center Kapılar in Izmir needs financial support!
Information on what to do in case of Interceptions or Readmission/ Deportation to Turkey
Welcome2Europe updated their information on Turkey and added information for migrants who have been intercepted back to Turkey at sea or land and for those who have been readmitted/deported to Turkey from Greece.
For now the information are available in English. Arabic, Farsi and French will follow soon.
Migrant solidarity network on the resistance of saya-workers across Turkey
Via Migrant Solidarity Network – There has been news coming related to the strikes of saya (shoe-upper) workers from all corners of Turkey since more than a month. Saya workers organized boycotts and strikes in many cities from Konya to Manisa, from İzmir to Adana and from İstanbul to Antep because of following reasons: Non-covered employment without job security, bad working conditions and long working hours and ill-payments etc. Continue reading Migrant solidarity network on the resistance of saya-workers across Turkey
Shoe Workers Went on Strike Across Turkey
The resistance started in Adana in September 2017 and spread to İstanbul, Gaziantep, Konya, İzmir and Manisa within a few days. In almost all cities, the resistance resulted in the victory of the workers. The solidarity between Syrian and Turkish workers is the prominent character of this strike. [1]
The workers went on strike with the demands of 25% wage increase, 10% wage increase each year and the demand that Syrian workers – who take the lowest wage among the shoe workers- must be given the same wage as given to the rest of the shoe workers. [2]
The resistance of Turkish, Kurdish and Syrian shoe workers against labor exploitation – uninsured, unsecured and low-paying working conditions- has been running on. In İzmir, the workers still keep on organizing demonstrations to put across their demands. [3]
Halkların Köprüsü: Report of Torbalı visit after attack on refugees in April
Via Halkların Köprüsü – We re-issue a report by the association Halkların Köprüsü (Bridging Peoples) in Izmir, who visited refugees after they got attacked by locals in Torbalı in April this year. Having spoken to many people involved in the incident, they claim that in order to avoid such tensions in the future, the state should provide them with a safe and long-lasting legal status as close to citizenship as possible.
The report was published already in May and can also be read on the homepage of the association.
Continue reading Halkların Köprüsü: Report of Torbalı visit after attack on refugees in April