MSF: No medical care for immigrants in detention centers

Athens, August 29, 2011 – The situation for immigrants held in detention in Evros and Rodopi is once again crucial. For almost a month, there has been no medical care to immigrants and asylum seekers in detention, as teams of the Ministry of Health have stopped providing medical and psychosocial care. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) decided to resume their medical activities in the region to meet the urgent needs of immigrants.

Turkish Presh: Frontex kills migrant at Evros

A migrant was killed as Frontex patrol opened fire to migrants crossing the greek-turkish border at Evros river, according to Turkish Press.

The newspaper says that the day before yesterday (prob. 24/8) a group of migrants were attempting to cross illegally from Evros in Greece in Ouzounkioprou of Edirne, as Frontex forces opened fire on them.

According Hurriyet, the migrants have used 5 inflatable boats to cross the river. From the gun shots one of the boats carrying 10 people sunk, and the migrants swam to the turkish shore. However, a migrant who was waiting to board on a boat at the Turkish side was hitted on his back.

The incident, according to the newspaper, was denounced to the soldiers of the Turkish border post, and when they reached the point of the incident they fount 47 migrants from Afghanistan, Bourma and Somalia and the dead migrant as well. The type of the bullet is used in MP 5 weapons.

Turkish source: http://www.sondakika.com/haber-frontex-timleri-turk-sinirina-ates-acti-2954543/

New bill reduces the residence time required for sans-papiers migrants to apply for residence permits

August 23, 2011.  A new bill was voted today, according to which immigrants will be eligible for a temporary residence permit if they can prove they have lived in Greece – illegally – for at least 10 years, down from the current 12 years.

This reduction was agreed after the 300 immigrants’ hunger strike. The initial government’s promise though was to decrease the years from 12 to 8 years.

“The 10-year stipulation will not lead to the mass legalisation of immigrants,” interior minister Haris Kastanidis said.

The minister justified the government’s decision to reduce the minimum duration of residence. He said immigration legislation has changed drastically since 2001 and the current 12-year stipulation meant that migrants with a “genuine connection to Greece, who deserve the right to live and work legally in the country, were being denied residency”.

Mediterranean: 1,931 dead immigrants in the first 7 months of 2011 – 1,674 of them (87%) in the Sicilian Channel

Death in the Mediterranean

According to Fortress Europe, 1,931 immigrants have lost their lives in the mediterranean sea during the first 7 months of 2011, and 1,674 of them (87%) died in the Sicilian Channel.

Since the beginning of the year, about 25,000 people have arrived in Italy from Tunisia and an equal number from Libya. According to official data (August 1, 2011) 1,674 immigrants lost their lives trying to reach Italy – of these 1,674 deaths only 188 drowned on the Tunisian route. On the Libyan route instead the number of deaths is 1,486. It is as if one out of 130 die on the Tunisian route, while one out of every 17 on the Libyan route. Eight times more.

Police raids in Patras

On Wednesday august 10, Patras police conducted another operation around the port in order to arrest sans-papiers immigrants.
The search focused on the makeshift camps set up by the migrants arriving in Patras, where many live in inhumane conditions as they wait for an opportunity to enter a boat to Italy.
Police detained a total of 49 immigrants and arrested 47 of them because they didn’t possess legal documents.
This is the third such operation by Patras police in the last few days. The two previous searches were conducted in the railway depot at Agios Andreas near the port, where dozens of immigrants were caught.
After the operations were complete, the Greek Railway Organisation (OSE) removed the old, empty carriages that immigrants had been using as shelters.

Lampedusa: survivor claims around 100 died on Libya refugee boat

One of the four Moroccan women assisted in Lampedusa, having been saved by the Italian Coastal Guard. 100 refugees fleeing the unrest in Libya died on the overcrowded boat Photo: EPA

Around 100 refugees fleeing the unrest in Libya died on an overcrowded boat that arrived on Thursday at the Italian island of Lampedusa, a survivor has claimed

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk 

The female survivor said: “We were 300, but around 100, especially women, did not survive, and the men were forced to throw their bodies into the sea.” The Moroccan woman’s claim contradicted information provided earlier by Italian coast guard spokesman Vittorio Alessandro, who said 300 badly dehydrated refugees were rescued from the boat after it was discovered 90 nautical miles 104 miles south of Lampedusa.

43.41% decrease of sans-papiers entering Greece arrests during first half of 2011

According to data publicized by the Greek police on July 21 2011, the number of sans-papiers immigrants arrested during the first half of 2011 showed a significant decrease of 43.41% compared to the same period in 2010.
An increase of sans-papiers entries (+22.13%) took place in the Greek-Turkish land border. Arrests in the area of Alexandroupoli had an increase of 237,8%.
According to Greek police and port police, from January to June 2011 were arrested 8.154 Afghans, 5.583 Pakistanis, 4.978 Albanians, 2.126 Bangladeshis, 2.006 Algerians, 2.006 Moroccans, 1.002 Iraqis etc.
Arrests were largely decreased in the Aegean: Lesvos -92,52%, Samos -92,00%, Chios -52,85%, Dodekanisa -99,91%, Cyclades -78,62%, Crete -34,54%. In the rest of the country, number of arrests was decreased by 48,06%.

Greek army is digging a second Evros!

In the photo you see the ditch that the Greek army is creating in Evros.
Greek army is digging the ditch right on the border of Turkey. The ditch’s official initial aim was to serve as an anti-tank project and it was supposed to extend 20 km along the Greek-Turkish Border.

According to newspaper “TA NEA” the ditch will be 120 km long, 7 meters deep and 30 meters wide and it will serve “as a natural barrier to illegal immigrants”.

Migrants clash with police in Italy

Hundreds of asylum-seekers clashed with riot police near an immigrant centre in the southern Italian city of Bari yesterday in a protest to demand refugee status that left dozens lightly injured.

Protesters hurled rocks and metal bars at police lines, set off fires and trashed the facility on the outskirts of Bari. Police responded with tear gas and live rounds fired into the air and 30 protesters were arrested.

The rioters blocked a main road and railway for several hours, disrupting regional train services and car traffic. A passing bus was also wrecked.

Local officials later intervened and persuaded the protesters to stand down after the authorities undertook to respond to their requests by next Wednesday.

The asylum-seekers returned to the facility, Italian news media reported.

25 Migrants Dead on Italy-Bound Boat

(ROME) — Twenty-five African migrants trying to reach Italy from Libya died in the hold of a rickety boat so packed with people that the migrants could not get out as they struggled to breathe, officials said Monday after the bodies were found below decks. Source:http://www.time.com

Hundreds of migrants fleeing unrest and conflict in Libya and across North Africa are believed to have died since the beginning of the year in desperate journeys across the Mediterranean. (See pictures of Lampedusa flooded by Tunisian migrants.)

The 50-foot boat was carrying 296 people, including women and children, said Coast Guard Capt. Antonio Morana.