Greece: Defending human rights in times of border militarization

“The new legal asylum framework in Greece, in fully harmony with the EU’s proposal on the new pact on Asylum and Migration, have already raised concerns and have mobilized humanitarian organizations. Fast track procedures without relevant safeguards procedures for a fair and effective examination of applications of international protection have led to a non – individualized and reliable assessment of international protection’s claims. Furthermore, the crisis in Evros region and its management by the European and Greek political leadership have raised human rights protection issues and concerns.

The militarization of borders at national level, the purchase of grenades and weapons “to combat migratory flows”, the strengthening of FRONTEX, the constant and steady practice of illegal pushbacks create a pollical environment according to which the refugee-the immigrant is considered “unwelcomed”, if not an “enemy”…

Unfortunately, human rights protection in the near future appears bleak. In HumanRights360, we are concerned that the restrictive measures imposed in all RICs in Greece including RIC of Fylakio, Orestiada due to the Covid-19 outbreak, in the police stations and in the border guards, have been imposed not only in the view of protection of asylum seekers’ health, but, also in order to facilitate the implementation of a scheme which gradually would turn all reception and identification centers into closed ones. Furthermore, the limited access of humanitarian organizations in the RIC of Fylakio, Orestiada, during the prolonged lockdown, raises concerns about the possible consolidation and generalization of such a policy in the RICs.” (emphasis added)

The report is available here and covers the following issues: