Published : 31-05-2020
Human rights activists have called on migrants and asylum seekers sheltered on Greek islands and on the mainland to hold vigils outside of migration departments to protests Greece’s recent decisions to evacuate asylum seekers and push them back to other countries.
Activists said in a statement the Greek authorities plan to force over 12,000 asylum seekers from houses and hotels in Istiaia town.
They added that the Greek government which ordered asylum seekers to stay at home in response to coronavirus outbreaks has, paradoxically, prevented them from aid grants by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The statement warned of the arbitrary refoulemnt decisions, rejections of asylum applications, and closure of migrant facilities by the Greek authorities in an attempt to crackdown on asylum seekers.
A few months earlier, the Greek Ministry of Citizen Protection issued a decision to evacuate all buildings housing migrant residents who have received visas or subsidiary protection cards in Greece since 2017.
The Ministry said the eviction should be carried out no later than April 2020.
The decision has resulted in dozens of families, including Palestinian refugee families, being homeless.
Activists said the move dovetails the country’s attempt to rein in the influx of migrants and overcrowdings on its islands.
Palestinian refugees who have fled war-stricken zones to Greece have been denied their rights to visas and prevented from accessing vital facilities.
Human rights activists have called on migrants and asylum seekers sheltered on Greek islands and on the mainland to hold vigils outside of migration departments to protests Greece’s recent decisions to evacuate asylum seekers and push them back to other countries.
Activists said in a statement the Greek authorities plan to force over 12,000 asylum seekers from houses and hotels in Istiaia town.
They added that the Greek government which ordered asylum seekers to stay at home in response to coronavirus outbreaks has, paradoxically, prevented them from aid grants by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The statement warned of the arbitrary refoulemnt decisions, rejections of asylum applications, and closure of migrant facilities by the Greek authorities in an attempt to crackdown on asylum seekers.
A few months earlier, the Greek Ministry of Citizen Protection issued a decision to evacuate all buildings housing migrant residents who have received visas or subsidiary protection cards in Greece since 2017.
The Ministry said the eviction should be carried out no later than April 2020.
The decision has resulted in dozens of families, including Palestinian refugee families, being homeless.
Activists said the move dovetails the country’s attempt to rein in the influx of migrants and overcrowdings on its islands.
Palestinian refugees who have fled war-stricken zones to Greece have been denied their rights to visas and prevented from accessing vital facilities.
