π¬π· The Greek government is breaking the law.
πͺπΊ The EU is going along with it.
π€ Why?
𧡠Thread...
πͺπΊ The EU is going along with it.
π€ Why?
𧡠Thread...
A leaked report from the European anti-fraud office, OLAF, shows how the EUβs border agency, Frontex, acquiesces to Greeceβs illegal, and often violent, pushbacks of migrants and asylum seekers from Greece to Turkey.
cdn.prod.www.spiegel.de
cdn.prod.www.spiegel.de
The EU leadership might tell you this is old news. The OLAF report circulated internally earlier this year, and its documentation of past crimes has already led to the resignation of head of Frontex.
But hereβs the thing πππ the same crimes are still happening today.
But hereβs the thing πππ the same crimes are still happening today.
Greek authorities are still illegally pushing people back to Turkey, and Frontex continues to operate in Greece the same as before.
The law is clear: everyone seeking protection has a right to apply for asylum and should be given that opportunity.
People canβt just be shoved back across a border with no legal process, and they canβt be subjected to violence.
People canβt just be shoved back across a border with no legal process, and they canβt be subjected to violence.
But in Greece, the authorities (and their proxies), are assaulting, robbing, and stripping asylum seekers and migrants, including children, before summarily pushing them back to Turkey.
Read, for example: hrw.org
Read, for example: hrw.org
For years, many have reported on egregious human rights violations at Greeceβs borders, including:
β«οΈ UN Refugee Agency
β«οΈ UNβs International Organization for Migration
β«οΈ Council of Europeβs Commissioner for Human Rights
β«οΈ Committee for the Prevention of Torture.
β«οΈ UN Refugee Agency
β«οΈ UNβs International Organization for Migration
β«οΈ Council of Europeβs Commissioner for Human Rights
β«οΈ Committee for the Prevention of Torture.
Not to mention many media outlets, and many nongovernmental groups, including Human Rights Watch.
The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Greece to prevent the summary return of asylum seekers stranded at Turkeyβs borders.
borderviolence.eu
The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Greece to prevent the summary return of asylum seekers stranded at Turkeyβs borders.
borderviolence.eu
Yet the Greek government continues to dismiss these concerns, keeps denying the abuses, and even tries to silence those reporting on illegal incidents, using the threat of criminal penalties.
hrw.org
hrw.org
Frontex, whose mandate requires personnel to respect fundamental rights, stands by and does nothing.
The European Commission, which should be opening legal proceedings against the Greek government for violating EU laws, looks the other way.
The European Commission, which should be opening legal proceedings against the Greek government for violating EU laws, looks the other way.
Instead of doing their job and upholding rights, these EU actors are upholding the Greek governmentβs fiction...
...and hundreds of thousands of people suffer as a result.
hrw.org
...and hundreds of thousands of people suffer as a result.
hrw.org
π’ This is the top story in my newsletter today.
π² READ the whole edition online and SUBSCRIBE here: hrw.org
π² READ the whole edition online and SUBSCRIBE here: hrw.org
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