Greek authorities have denied at least 625 people who arrived on the island of Lesbos between March 1 and 18, 2020 the right to seek asylum, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities are detaining 189 new arrivals on the island of Lesbos in unacceptable conditions. The other 436 were transported to a closed center in …
Read the full post →“Greece: Grant asylum access to new arrivals”
Greek security forces at the border continue to use brutal violence against refugees and migrants trying to cross the border. In the latest attempt, Greek border units started to use “green laser” to damage migrants’ eyes to stop their efforts. As 22 days passed since Turkey decided not to prevent migrants from trying to cross …
Read the full post →“Greek security forces use green laser against migrants at border”
The Trump administration is considering immediately returning any foreigners caught at the US-Mexico border to Mexico, arguing that the step is necessary to combat the fast-spreading coronavirus, according to two administration officials. The measure, which remains under discussion, would apply to migrants caught crossing the illegally outside ports of entry and would not affect legal …
Read the full post →“Mexican migrants may be turned away at the US border due to virus”
The Greek government is detaining migrants in secret at an extrajudicial location before expelling them to Turkey without due process, as part of several hard-line measures to seal its border, contravening international law. According to a report from the New York Times, several migrants have reported having been captured, stripped of their belongings, beaten and …
Read the full post →“Greece holds migrants at secret, illegal ‘black site’ before expelling them”
European Union officials visited Greece to see for themselves the migrant tensions building on its frontier with Turkey and pledged millions of euros in aid while calling for order after sporadic violence over the weekend. “Greek authorities are facing a very difficult task in containing the situation,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told …
Read the full post →“EU gives $780 million to help Greece stop migrants at border”
The United Nation’s refugee agency said on Monday that Greece had no right to stop accepting asylum applications as Athens struggled with a sudden increase of arrivals at its border of Middle East refugees and migrants from Turkey. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday his country would not be accepting any new asylum …
Read the full post →“Greece has no right to stop accepting asylum requests”
Greece will not accept for a month, beginning Sunday, any asylum applications from migrants entering the country illegally and, where possible, will immediately return them to the country they entered from, Greece’s government spokesman Stelios Petsas announced Sunday. The announcement was made at the conclusion of a cabinet meeting on national security. Greece will also …
Read the full post →“Greece freezes asylum applications from illegally entering migrants”
Greece has called for “urgent” EU backing to prepare for a possible coronavirus outbreak in migrant camps, a minister said Friday. “This sort of case could have dramatic consequences. It is extremely important to act in a timely manner to avert such a possibility,” junior migration minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos told EU internal affairs ministers in …
Read the full post →“Greece seeks ‘urgent’ EU assistance for coronavirus outbreak in migrant camps”
Thousands of families seeking asylum are stranded at the Turkey-Greece border for the past 26 days in the hope of entering Europe and the excruciating wait is taking its toll on children. Among other hard realities of everyday life, the children have to brave the gas canisters thrown at them by the Greek border forces. …
Read the full post →“Children of asylum seekers hang on to hope”
Driven from their homes by war and unrest, up to 10 million of the world’s 70 million refugees live in crowded camps and informal settlements. Now comes a new threat: the coronavirus rampaging across the globe. Almost none of those who live in the refugee camps have been tested for the virus. While the relative …
