Greece: UNHCR urges access to stowaways in Piraeus
Briefing Notes, 13 March 2007
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 13 March 2007, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
UNHCR is urging the Greek authorities to allow the urgent disembarkation and grant access to the asylum system of 16 stowaways found nearly a week ago on a cargo ship docked in the port of Piraeus.
The stowaways apparently boarded the Antigua flagged 'RITA' cargo vessel in Turkey. It arrived in Piraeus on Wednesday 7 March. UNHCR and the Greek Refugee Council had access to the stowaways last Friday and most of the group expressed their wish to claim asylum. Those claims were delivered yesterday, Monday, to the relevant Greek authorities but as yet there has been no response.
This group should have access to the asylum procedure in Greece and not be turned away as this could result in a direct or indirect refoulement – return to a country where they claim to feel threatened. We are also concerned that there are five minors amongst this group and two people with serious health problems. They should be disembarked as soon as possible so as not to prolong their ordeal. We hope that a solution can be found shortly that complies with humanitarian and international protection principles and are ready to help the Greek authorities in any appropriate way.
Beyond the Border
In 2010, the Turkish border with Greece became the main entry point for people attempting by irregular methods to reach member states of the European Union, with over 132,000 arrivals. While some entered as migrants with the simple wish of finding a better life, a significant number fled violence or persecution in countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq and Somalia. The journey is perilous, with many reports of drowning when people board flimsy vessels and try to cross the Mediterranean Sea or the River Evros on the border between Greece and Turkey. The many deficiencies in the Greek asylum system are exacerbated by the pressure of tens of thousands of people awaiting asylum hearings. Reception facilities for new arrivals, including asylum-seekers, are woefully inadequate. Last year, UNHCR visited a number of overcrowded facilities where children, men and women were detained in cramped rooms with insufficient facilities. UNHCR is working with the Greek government to improve its asylum system and has called upon other European states to offer support.
Beyond the Border
The makeshift camp at Patras
Thousands of irregular migrants, some of whom are asylum-seekers and refugees, have sought shelter in a squalid, makeshift camp close to the Greek port of Patras since it opened 13 years ago. The camp consisted of shelters constructed from cardboard and wood and housed hundreds of people when it was closed by the Greek government in July 2009. UNHCR had long maintained that it did not provide appropriate accommodation for asylum-seekers and refugees. The agency had been urging the government to find an alternative and put a stronger asylum system in place to provide appropriate asylum reception facilities for the stream of irregular migrants arriving in Greece each year.The government used bulldozers to clear the camp, which was destroyed by a fire shortly afterwards. All the camp residents had earlier been moved and there were no casualties. Photographer Zalmaï, a former refugee from Afghanistan, visited the camp earlier in the year.
The makeshift camp at Patras
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