3 Afghans died from cold (?) in Parga – Greece

After an anonymous phone call made to an Afghan family in Afghanistan, policemen found the corpses of three Afghan immigrants thrown in a deserted area outside Parga (West Greece).

Someone anonymously called from Athens and told the Afghan family that strangers threw the dead bodies of three Afghans behind a gas station on the Preveza – Igoumenitsa highway.

Most likely the three Afghans, aged 20-30 years, died from cold as they were transferred on a truck from Athens to the port of Igoumenitsa.

Last winter Corfu shipwreck sans papiers death toll: a 16-year-old afghan refugee testimony

source: http://w2eu.net/2011/07/20/dublin-deaths-between-kerkyragreece-and-bariitaly-15th-of-january-2011/#more-3027

Dublin-Deaths between Kerkyra/Greece and Bari/Italy

The following testimony of Amin Fedaii, a 16-year-old afghan refugee, is alarming. On January 15th 2011 more than 20 refugees (mainly from Afghanistan) died while trying to flee from Greece and to reach their relatives and friends in other European countries.

The asylum system in the crisis-ridden Mediterranean country has entirely collapsed. Refugees cannot find protection neither any income and often even no accommodation. Against this background deportations to Greece according the Dublin II-regulation have been stopped in many European Countries, but the affected persons got stuck in unbearable conditions in Athens or in the harbour-cities of Patras and Igoumenitsa. While EU-citizens can travel without any problems, refugees are trapped: a regular exit is refused, although they have – particularly if they come from war-zones like Afghanistan – good chances to receive a residence permit on humanitarian grounds in many EU-countries.

Amin survived and is now living in an accomodation for minor refugees in Hessen, Germany. But he had to experience the meaningless death of 20 persons by drowning, because firstly entry and afterwards their rescue has been refused: 20 more victims of a merciless european border regime, which obviously is calculating with the death of refugees.

Seggregation and manhunts in Igoumenitsa

In gateway-to-Italy Ionian Sea town of Igoumenitsa (see here for previous reports) the situation gets harsher. Immigrants are seen searching for food and clothing in rubish cans. The nearby area of Ladochori has been turned informally into a containment area by the police, which guards there immigrants not allowing them even to walk through to the town of Igoumenitsa. Locals now demand that immigrants leave their village because they “steal and cause trouble”. At the same time the local branch of the DIA supermarket brand denies entry to immigrant customers for security reasons. The politics of seggregation have given rise to a culture of xenophobia.

There are also reports of an immigrant head injured by a track driver at the port area.

What’s more, the police thugs of DI.AS. force, infamous for their tactic to raid demonstration lines on their motorbikes and injure people, have arrived in Igoumenitsa town. They can now be seen on their bikes hunting immigrants.

On Tuesday, July 27, people in Igoumenitsa will gather to offer immigrants clothing and other needed stuff in solidarity.

info: http://ditiki.squat.gr/

More cases of racist police violence in Igoumenitsa

source: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1146452, thanx to Ben for his help with this post.

photo from athens indymedia

photo from athens indymedia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On March 10, Igoumenitsa port police beat an innocent immigrant with their clubs in the port area of Igoumenitsa. The man sustained serious injuries in the attack.

 

This followed a similar incident where police harassed two men seeking assistance at a local health centre. The men were tormented and pushed around by the policemen who informed them that they could not use the services at the health centre and that it was “not a health centre for them”. 

The small town of Igoumenitsa has been known in the past for its racially motivated attacks on immigrants. One such attack occurred on an immigrant with severe health problems who was unable to defend himself when police set their dogs on the man (Police brutality once more in Igoumenitsa: Cops let loose their dog against immigrant).

The attacks continue, and as recently as last Wednesday, when an immigrant disembarked a ferry from Italy and was met by waiting port policemen.  

It is alleged the man had been beaten by both the Italian police and security thugs aboard the ferry, before being handed over to the Greek police for further punishment. His injuries were so severe that his internal organs had been seriously damaged by the repeated beatings. 

The situation in Igoumenitsa is out of control with local police using racially motivated violence in a display of abuse against these people’s basic human rights. The Igoumenitsa police continue to raid the immigrant settlement near Ladochori and on March 4 violently attacked six immigrants and left them with serious injuries.  

Igoumenitsa may be an isolated provincial town and the local police may believe their crimes will remain unknown, but they are wrong. Those people in solidarity with immigrants from Western Greece now monitor the situation and speak out against the abuse of innocent people. As the protests on March 2 have shown, nothing will remain in darkness.  

Police brutality once more in Igoumenitsa: Cops let loose their dog against immigrant

Yesterday night between 9 and 10 pm cops in Igoumenitsa some cops patroling along with a police dog came across an Iraqi immigrant, who was known to them, since he had been hospitalised at the local hospital.  The Immigrant has lost one lung due to exposure to poisonous gases in Iraq and suffers from heart dislocation.  When the cops saw him started making fun of him and then let loose their dog, which assaulted the immigrant, bite him at then knee and injured him, before the cops took it away.

The immigrant’s condition is not severe but he is still at the hospital.  People in solidarity are there with him.

Last Tuesday a solidarity demonstration took place in Igoumenitsa.    Police’s attitude was very much provocative, in continuity with their repeated assaults against the settlement of immigrants who try to pass to Italy through the town’s harbour.

Source of the info above http://athens.indymedia.org

More about Igoumenitsa’s police hideous precedent here.

Zero tolerance terror against immigrants once more in Igoumenitsa

In recent days, a wave of police terror has swept the port town of Igoumenitsa on the Ionian sea side of Greece. This is one of the main gateways to Italy and immigrants o try there to get into ferries to Italy. This is the town where one year ago the Kurd refugee from Iraq Arivan Abdullah Osman had been severly injured on the 3rd of April at Igoumenitsa port by Port police men – he died in hospital a couple of months after.

Zero tolerance terror was implemented once more against sans papiers of the area. As athens indymedia users report, in the last days of January police operation tried to clear up the makeshift nylon huts immigrants had to protect themselves from the harsh winter conditions. The police not only destroyed the huts but also burnt people’s clothes and blankets.

After the barbarity was made known people of the area and near cities provided immigrants with clothes and necessary things, but this was not the end of the story.

The police, some days after the destruction of the settlement, raided once more towns’ spots where immigrants gather, they beat and arrested dozens, who were then kept in detention cells of the police stations, under “Guantanamo” conditions. There has been rumour that gunshots could be heard during the operations.

A solidarity committee has been formed in the town and is working on practical solidarity issues. Their next meeting is on Thursday, February 6, at the Igoumenitsa Technical University premises.

Immigrant severely injured in Thesprotia, North-West Greece

On September 21, at 15:15 in Ladochori Thesprotia, an immigrant boarded on a parked truck in order to be hidden there and be transferred abroad.  When he noticed that the vehicle was moving towards Ioannina and not to Igoumenitsa port, he jumped  of the moving vehicle and suffered an injury to his head.   He was discovered by police patrols and transferred to hospitals of the Ipeirus region.

source: http://epirusgate.blogspot.com/

A sum-up of August so far

THE SITUATION IN GENERAL

According to an “Eleftherotypia” newspaper article, 3.000 refugees are detained in police detentions spaces (in the prison cells of police departments) and 3.000 more in dtetention centers. The detention center conditions, which are even more unbearable due to seasonal heat, could only be described as hellish during August due to the the inhumane overcrowding, which is now the situation at Greece’s mainland detention spaces as well. This has been described as unprecedented, with the facilities with no exception now being 50% over their capacity. Detainees are constantly being transferred from one detention space to the next, but constant “sweep operations” have gradually filled all premises. According to leaks, there are also some “informal” detentions spaces running. The only strategy of the pertinent ministry of interior is actually summary expulsions of refugees to Turkey.

The minister and deputy minister of interior are said to be in political rivalry, and their urge to meet with the “message of the euroelections”, the cleansing of Athens and urban centers of immigrants, has clashed with coordination problems and the lack of any realistic plan for “reception centers”, at the expense of refugees’ treatment of course, as described above. The minister is said to follow a plan of constucting four camps until the end of the year, the deputy minister two camps as early as mid September.

The situation is believed to worsen by the end of August when the new law which denies refugees to lodge an appeal for rejected asylum applications will be put in effect, opening thus the way for the deportation thus thousands of refugees whose applications are now pending.

“Now you will die!”: Coast Guard attempt to drown asylum-seekers in Lesbos

Source: http://libcom.org/news/now-you-will-die-coast-guard-attempt-drown-asylum-seekers-lesbos-03082009

Coast guard of Lesbos tied 12 Somali immigrants in an inflatable boat and then pierced its sides with knives in order to drown the helpless asylum seekers who were saved by passing cruise boat

The Coast Guard of Lesbos Island has been accused of attempting to mass murder 12 Somali asylum seekers, amongst which one woman. According to the case, on the 5th of July an Austrian European border Frontex Helicopter spotted an inflatable boat containing the 12 immigrants off Korakas Cape in Lesbos.

Upon the arrival of the Greek Coast Guard, the helicopter left, leaving the Greek cops to arrest the 12. The Coast Guard took the 12 out of their boat, tied their hands to their necks, beat them, and put them back in the inflatable boat before piercing its sides with knives. Then they let the boat go to the open sea telling the asylum seekers in English: “Now you will die!”.

Immediately the boat started getting water in, and sinking. The asylum seekers were saved from certain drowning when a British cruise boat passed by, saw them and saved them. The asylum seekers were then taken to Pagani detention camp on Lesbos from where they contacted the UN through a sympathetic lawyer. The Coast Guard adding insult to harm has called the UN law suit against them an act of provocation.

4 Iraqis on hunger strike in Arta

source: http://www.ele.gr/(A(YogGIgNBygEkAAAAYjRjNWU1YTAtZWRmMC00ZTU5LWIzNDYtMDE0NWY4ZjU0NDZjN4pB9lQR8gfgptGCq2k4zvtIU-Q1))/ShowArticle.aspx?ID=1945

In Arta, a town in north-western Greece of 25.000, four Iraqis went on hunger strike on the 9th of July, while another four Albanians are expecting for their asylum requests to be examined. The immigrants are not being accused of any crime, yet they have been locked up in a dirty and crowded cell at the police station for over two weeks, depending only on the good will of the police officers to leave the cell. The Iraqis, considerably weakened by the hunger strike and the conditions of detention, have even abstained from requesting political asylum and are hoping their hunger strike will help accelerate the process leading to their release and administrative deportation.

THE IMMEDIATE LEGACY OF THE PATRAS EVICTION: 23 immigrants on hunger strike in Agrinion

source: athens indymedia

On the 11 July 2009, the Patras TV channel “superb” broadcasted a live interview of the president of the police officers’ Union of Agrinion, a town of 100.000 inhabitants in Western Greece. The officer stated that 23 of 26 immigrants who had been arrested after the complete demolition of the 15-year-old refugee settlement in Patras by the authorities, and had then been transferred to the police headquarters in Agrinion, have now started a hunger strike. (The remaining three immigrants had been released.)

All 23 of the detainees (Somalis and Afghanis) were reported to be suffering contageous diseases, (mainly tuberculosis and scabs) yet were still being kept in jail instead of being taken to a hospital for proper care. The guards refused to go near them for fear of becoming infected and had therefore arranged for the immigrants to have direct access to the toilets. The police officers’ union president added that the immigrants had been offered to be returned to their countries on the expense of the Greek State but they had all declined.

A month later, on the 12th of August, four of the immigrants were transferred to the hospital, where they joined another four immigrants-hunger strikers who had been transferred there the previous day. All eight of them are in a critical condition. The original 23 immigrants were still refusing food until the 20th of August, when six of them were transferred to an unknown destination. 17 immigrants are now being detained in Agrinio, accepting water and food and awaiting the State’s decision about their fate.

Hunger Strike in Pagani, Lesvos

source and much material and updates at http://lesvos09.antira.info/

Published on 20. August 2009,

On 18th of August 2009, 160 unaccompanied minors detained in Pagani detention centre went on hunger strike to demand their immediate freedom. All of them are detained in just one room, where they share one toilet, many need to sleep on the floor due to lack of beds. Some of the minors are only eight or nine years old. 50 of them have been detained for over 2 months, the others have been in Pagani for several weeks already. The detention of minors is illegal under greek law.

Today, 150 people from a local solidarity movement and antiracist groups here to prepare the noborder camp took to the detention centre to show solidarity and support for their demand for immediate freedom. On arrival, the detained persons started shouting “freedom, freedom”, which was answered by the demonstaration. Messages in English and Farsi were read out as the migrants inside passed letters with their demands and concerning their situation to the outside.

All participants of the demonstration were severly shocked in the light of the unbearable conditions in Pagani. We learnt of a 13-year-old boy inside Pagani who was extremely sick and in urgent need of medical attention for two days already. However, none of the authorities responsible acted. It was only when we called an ambulance it was possible to transport the sick boy to the hospital. We also learnt of a heavily pregnant woman in a very bad health state. She however refused to be brought to the hospital since she didn’t want to leave her other two little children alone in Pagani.

We left with the promise to come back soon and to spread the information about these obvious human rights abuses worldwide and went to the city to confront the attorney responsible with his neglect in taking care of the minors he is in charge of.

One letter we received reads:

We are having hardship times in this worst jail, more than three months in a bad situation, without any supporters except you. The police refuses or rejects to explain our bad situation in this bad jail. We are more than 1.000 prisoners, ladies, guys as well as lots of children. So as a conclusion, please do whatever you can. We are waiting a lot from you, we need our freedom as well as our rights.

Best regards, prisoners

Samos Hunger Strike: almost 600 Samos immigrants go on hunger strike over transfers, expulsions

source: http://ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100002_06/08/2009_109598

The recent government policy of moving illegal immigrants to reception centers in northern Greece before expelling them from the country ran into more trouble yesterday, as 580 migrants being held on Samos went on hunger strike to protest the measure.

The migrants’ complaints were prompted by an attempt by authorities to remove 26 illegal immigrants from the island on Tuesday so that they could be transferred to another center in northern Greece.

Authorities have recently attempted to crack down on illegal immigration by stepping up the number of expulsions, while also taking into custody migrants squatting or renting accommodation in run-down buildings in Athens.

The practice of transferring migrants to northern Greece has, in recent weeks, met with the opposition of human rights campaigners who have attempted to prevent the operations from taking place.

Yesterday’s protest came as sources revealed to Kathimerini that one in three applications made this year to remain here by the families of migrants living legally in Greece will be rejected.

Sources said that some 9,000 applications had been made but that in some 3,000 cases, the requests would be turned down because the migrant who is the main breadwinner in the family was not earning enough money.

According to Greek law, for a migrant’s family to be allowed to remain in Greece, the head of the family must declare an income that is 20 percent more than that of an unskilled laborer, which amounts to 10,200 euros per year before taxes.

Campaigners for migrants’ rights have expressed concern that since, given the current economic conditions, many immigrants’ incomes do not reach this level, their wives and children will be deemed to be living here illegally.

The Interior Ministry said that migrants can appeal any decision to deport their families and instead of a residence permit will be issued with a document confirming their legal status (“veveosi”) that will then be renewed every six months until their case is heard.

Deaths in Kos and Igoumenitsa

from fortresseurope.blogspot

07/08/09

Greece

Body found at Igoumenitsa port. He sneaked onto a truck believing it was about to board a ferry for Italy and he died after he jumped off when it appears that the truck was headed for mainland Greece

13/08/09

Greece

Two bodies were recovered from the sea off the coast of the eastern Aegean island of Kos while another three people were reported to be missing

Children in prison in Thessaloniki

August 12, 2009

source: tvxs.gr

Two little girls from Afghanistan were among the immigrants detained in the Border Guard Station of Kordelio outside Thessaloniki. 8 year old Narges and 2 year old Farzona were arrested with their parents trying to board on forged documents on a plane to Stuttgart. Although the public prosecutor decided that the family should be trialed in October 2010, the police arrested them and detained the father and the rest of the family in different police prison spaces. In the mean time the police decision for their deportation was issued. Fortunately the next day a court decision ordered their release and their transfer to an NGO managed reception center.

One more police inflicted death: Igoumenitsa Port Police victim dies

info: tvxs article

see also: A Kurd refugee in coma after assault by port police in Igoumenitsa – another victim of the Police operations at the western ports of Greece

The Kurd refugee from Iraq Arivan Abdullah Osman who had been severly injured on the 3rd of April at Igoumenitsa port by Port police men died today.

The eyewitnesses had described “commandos in blue and military camouflage uniforms”who had arrested Arivan Abdullah Osman for remaining at the port area, and then banged his head on cement  and inflicted him an internal hemorrhage.

He was transferred to local medical centers, and finally at the Thessaloniki Papanikolaou Hospital, where he underwent a surgical operation at his head.

According to the doctors he had no chance to recover and would either die, or remain into vegetative state.

The perpetrators of the crime have not been charged with anything yet. No judiciary research on the case has been ordered. The local port police head officer has promised an “administrative inquiry” (which is what authorities in Greece do when they want in effect to drop a case)… We can certainly rely on that for truth , since the pertinent Ministry’s announcement reads that Abdullah suffered an epileptic seizure and injured himself…

A Kurd refugee in coma after assault by port police in Igoumenitsa – another victim of the Police operations at the western ports of Greece

another gate to the West - another deathplace for immigrants

 This is a translation of this article.

clandestinenglish

 

On the 3rd of April at Igoumenitsa port the Coast Guard men injured fatally a Kurdish immigrant from Iraq. The eyewitnesses who are “sans papiers”immigrants described “commandos in blue and military camouflage uniforms. The policemen requested by the immigrants to leave the port area. They did so, but returned some time later to find a way to be transported to Italy, which was their goal. They waited there, but the police returned as well, and they arrested Arivan Abdullah Osman, a 29 year old Kurdish Iraqi. They banged his head on the cement at the port and inflicted him an internal hemorrhage.

He was transferred to local medical centers, and finally at the Thessaloniki Papanikolaou Hospital, where he underwent a surgical operation at his head.

Unfortunately, mechanical support is still necessary for his vital organs to function. According to the doctors he has no chance to recover and will either die, or will go into vegetative state, should anyone concerned allowed for his disconnection from the support machinery.