Brussels, 14/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 14 April, several NGOs including Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International spoke out in press release about the living conditions for migrants arriving in Greece, who are detained arbitrarily in closed centres on Chios and Lesbos. Thousands of migrants are detained there, the NGOs state, and they do not know what their outcome will be under the new EU-Turkey agreement.
Questioned about this, the European Commission said the same day that the detention of migrants was provided for in European legislation, but as a measure of last resort. The strict conditions are to avoid, for example, the risk of escape. Amnesty International mentions the number of 4,000 detainees, migrants and asylum seekers, and criticises systematic detentions even when other options are possible.
The Commission also said on Thursday that, in a letter on 12 April, the Turkish authorities had officially confirmed the legislative amendments required by the new EU-Turkey agreement. The Commission is examining these amendments closely, a spokesperson stated, and is waiting for the Greek authorities to handle the first files for asylum seekers who arrived after 20 March. These asylum seekers can be sent back to Turkey under this agreement, even after they have applied for asylum in Greece. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)