- Home /
- News /
- 2016 /
- April /
- GREECE: Amnesty International: "Thousands of people" have been "arbitrarily detained" in detention centres (formerly "hotspots") on Lesvos and Chios
GREECE: Amnesty International: "Thousands of people" have been "arbitrarily detained" in detention centres (formerly "hotspots") on Lesvos and Chios
08 April 2016
A new report from Amnesty International discusses the situation in Greece, following visits by the organisation to two detention centres (which used to be "hotspots"). It says that thousands of people have been arbitrarily detained pending removal (unless they manage apply for asylum) in the effort to implement the EU-Turkey deal.
See:
Greece: Refugees detained in dire conditions amid rush to implement EU-Turkey deal (Amnesty International, link)
The report says:
"In Moria detention centre on Lesvos, Greek army and police exercise strict control over who goes in and out. The camp, which now houses around 3,150 people, is closed off from the outside world by several layers of fencing topped with barbed wire.
In VIAL detention centre on Chios, which is built around an abandoned aluminium factory, access is also tightly controlled. Security concerns linger following fierce clashes that broke out between different nationalities inside the camp overnight on 1 April, prompting more than 400 refugees and migrants to escape.
The majority of those who fled are now sleeping rough in and around the main port in downtown Chios. There is little security and scant access to basic services there."
There have been ugly scenes at the port as right-wing mobs have gathered outside and police have attempted to evacuate protesting refugees to a nearby camp. See:
Refugees in Greece warn of suicides over EU-Turkey deal (The Guardian, link) and
Bit of video from eviction of Chios port last night and numerous other tweets by
Oscar Webb (Twitter, link).
The Amnesty report continues:
"Only two of the refugees and migrants Amnesty International spoke to were able to show their detention orders based on their individual circumstances. Automatic, group-based detention is by definition arbitrary and therefore unlawful." (emphasis added)
Gauri van Gulik, Amnesty's Deputy Director for Europe, said:
"No asylum seeker should be automatically detained, and these detention centres on Lesvos and Chios are not in any way fit for purpose for the many young children, people with disabilities, or people with urgent medical needs we've met. They must be released immediately."
The extra labour promised as part of the EU-Turkey deal has so far not materialised:
"On 6 April the asylum service official who is the lone case worker at VIAL told Amnesty International the surge in applications is beyond his capacity to process. Out of 833 that had been filed he had processed only 10 - slightly over 1% - one of which was successful. While these cases were still processed under the old Greek asylum process, they indicate the extent of the current staffing shortfalls." (emphasis added)
Member States are so far falling short on providing some of the officials required, most notably interpreters - as of 6 April, they had provided 46 of the 400 requested. See:
Statistics: implementing the EU-Turkey deal: "boots on the ground"
The Amnesty report makes numerous recommendations:
The Greek and EU authorities must immediately halt mass returns until the following are effectively guaranteed:
Detention is used as a measure of last resort, with alternatives to detention considered
All decisions to detain must be based on a detailed and individualised assessment of the necessity to detain in line with a legitimate purpose.
All detainees must be given the opportunity to challenge the lawfulness of their detention with access to legal aid
Access to asylum procedures must be realistic and effective, including that timeframes for lodging supporting materials are appropriate for someone in detention, and access to legal and linguistic assistance should be made available
Capacity to process claims must be increased significantly
Asylum seekers in detention are provided with accurate legal information about the asylum process and their rights
Conditions in detention must be humane and dignified
All children should be immediately released from detention
The special circumstances and needs of particular asylum-seekers must be taken into account, including victims of trauma or torture, children, women, older people, and asylum-seekers with disabilities
Develop clear and rights-compliant guidelines on how the safe third country rule will be applied. Ensure the individual circumstances as well as up to date, independent information on the treatment and status of asylum seekers in Turkey are fully taken into account