Brussels, 25/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - The Greek Permanent Representation to the EU has provided clarification to our article on the treatment of Syrian refugees in the EU, published on 19 July on the occasion of the informal JHA Council (see EUROPE 10891).
It states that Greece has not been placing Syrian refugees in detention since April 2013. “As we indicated in the last JHA Council in June, no Syrian refugees arriving in Greece are placed in detention or sent back to the conflict zone”, the Greek Representation said, adding that “all Syrian nationals are subject to an identity check”. That done, “Greece grants them protection for six months in the country for humanitarian reasons and authorisation can be reviewed after it expires. No one is held in detention or sent back” to their country, it continued.
Accusations of ill-treatment towards and detention of migrants in Greece, particularly Syrian refugees, are regularly documented in reports by NGOs. On 10 July, Amnesty International claimed that the Greek authorities were putting the lives of refugees in danger. In May, Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström herself affirmed during a press conference in Athens that Syrian asylum seekers in other European countries were given “100%” protection whilst this level of protection in Greece is “close to zero” (see EUROPE 10846). She did, however, say that significant progress had been made in the reception of asylum seekers in Greece. On 14 May, she said that the “worst retention centres” had been closed but that this progress was still insufficient. (SP/transl.fl)