(Text in Italian follows)
The persistent practice among consecutive Greek governments to subject migrants and asylum-seekers, who enter or live in the Greek territory to systematic, indiscriminate and prolonged detention consistutes a flagrant violation of international, european and national law: administrative detention can only be used as an exceptional and last resort measure and only for the shortest time possible. Unfortunately, the Greek governments have thus treated it as the rule, rather than the exception. Over the past years, administrative detention has been Greece's main policy tool to deal with its migration and asylum issues.
This unsuccessful policy has caused the Greek authorities to infringe fundamental and inviolable detainee rights, to deny the right to international protection and to fulfill many other related international obligation; detainees are treated in an inhuman and degrading manner and are deprived of their liberty for prolonged periods of time without a fair trial. In 2015 alone, three migrants already lost their lives due to the deplorable conditions inside the detention centers and the sub-standard treatment they were subjected to. Others have been detained for around two years without ever having been convicted of a criminal offence.
Even its strongest supporters acknowledge that this policy of systematic detention has proven ineffective to solve Greece's asylum and migration problems, that it is disproportionally expensive and that it is futile against current refugee flows. Quite on the contrary, this policy has humiliated and denigrated thousands of people, has established a social perception that foreigners are trash and outcasts and has nurtured a culture of fascism, racism and xenophobia.
Since 01.1.2014 the European Court of Human Rights has issued a series of convicting judgments against Greece on account of this very policy. [H.H. v. Greece, Application No 63493/11, TATISHVILI v. Greece, Application No 26452/11, DE LOS SANTOS and DE LA CRUZ v. Greece, Application Nos. 2134/12 & 2161/12 , HERMAN and SERAZADISHVILI v. Greece, Application Nos 26418/11 & 45884/11, Mohammad and others v. Greece, Application No 48352/12, ΑΙ.Κ v. Greece, Application No 63542/11, Mohammad v. Greece, Application No 70586/11, A.E. v. Greece, Application No 46673/10, M.D. v. Greece, Application No 60622/11, F.H. v. Greece, Application No 78456/11, all of which found a violation of the prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment in detention facilities].
The responsibilities of both governing and executive authorities are immense and must be accounted for. The need to design and implement a different policy that will be in compliance with the law is compelling. Measures like lifting detention, suspending removal for 6 months, providing a deadline for voluntary departure, securing unobstructed access to the asylum process and creating reception and open accommodation centers are essential to bring the Greek policy framework in line with the Greek law and put an end to this farce. Ideological fixations and even sound concerns about the fate of these people are not legitimate reasons to prolong the violation of fundamental civil and social rights any further. Compliance with the law is neither optional nor negotiable.
Athens, 6 March 2015
Group of Lawyers for the Rights of Migrants and Refugees
http://omadadikigorwn.blogspot.gr/
______________________________________________
The persistent practice among consecutive Greek governments to subject migrants and asylum-seekers, who enter or live in the Greek territory to systematic, indiscriminate and prolonged detention consistutes a flagrant violation of international, european and national law: administrative detention can only be used as an exceptional and last resort measure and only for the shortest time possible. Unfortunately, the Greek governments have thus treated it as the rule, rather than the exception. Over the past years, administrative detention has been Greece's main policy tool to deal with its migration and asylum issues.
This unsuccessful policy has caused the Greek authorities to infringe fundamental and inviolable detainee rights, to deny the right to international protection and to fulfill many other related international obligation; detainees are treated in an inhuman and degrading manner and are deprived of their liberty for prolonged periods of time without a fair trial. In 2015 alone, three migrants already lost their lives due to the deplorable conditions inside the detention centers and the sub-standard treatment they were subjected to. Others have been detained for around two years without ever having been convicted of a criminal offence.
Even its strongest supporters acknowledge that this policy of systematic detention has proven ineffective to solve Greece's asylum and migration problems, that it is disproportionally expensive and that it is futile against current refugee flows. Quite on the contrary, this policy has humiliated and denigrated thousands of people, has established a social perception that foreigners are trash and outcasts and has nurtured a culture of fascism, racism and xenophobia.
Since 01.1.2014 the European Court of Human Rights has issued a series of convicting judgments against Greece on account of this very policy. [H.H. v. Greece, Application No 63493/11, TATISHVILI v. Greece, Application No 26452/11, DE LOS SANTOS and DE LA CRUZ v. Greece, Application Nos. 2134/12 & 2161/12 , HERMAN and SERAZADISHVILI v. Greece, Application Nos 26418/11 & 45884/11, Mohammad and others v. Greece, Application No 48352/12, ΑΙ.Κ v. Greece, Application No 63542/11, Mohammad v. Greece, Application No 70586/11, A.E. v. Greece, Application No 46673/10, M.D. v. Greece, Application No 60622/11, F.H. v. Greece, Application No 78456/11, all of which found a violation of the prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment in detention facilities].
The responsibilities of both governing and executive authorities are immense and must be accounted for. The need to design and implement a different policy that will be in compliance with the law is compelling. Measures like lifting detention, suspending removal for 6 months, providing a deadline for voluntary departure, securing unobstructed access to the asylum process and creating reception and open accommodation centers are essential to bring the Greek policy framework in line with the Greek law and put an end to this farce. Ideological fixations and even sound concerns about the fate of these people are not legitimate reasons to prolong the violation of fundamental civil and social rights any further. Compliance with the law is neither optional nor negotiable.
Athens, 6 March 2015
Group of Lawyers for the Rights of Migrants and Refugees
http://omadadikigorwn.blogspot.gr/
______________________________________________
Alcune
precisazioni sulla controversa questione della detenzione dei migranti
Comunicato del
Gruppo degli avvocati per i diritti dei rifugiati e dei migranti
L’applicazione
indiscriminata e sistematica del provvedimento di detenzione prolungata nei
confronti dei migranti e dei rifugiati che entrano o/e si trovano sul
territorio greco, conseguenza della linea politica in materia di immigrazione
dei governi che si sono succeduti alla guida del Paese, costituisce una
lampante violazione del diritto internazionale, comunitario e nazionale, in
base al quale la detenzione per reati di tipo amministrativo può essere imposta
solo come misura estrema, in casi eccezionali e per il periodo più breve
possibile. Purtroppo in Grecia la detenzione per reati di tipo amministrativo
non è un’eccezione ma una regola, ed è stata scelta dai governi come
provvedimento principale per quanto riguarda la questione dei migranti e dei rifugiati.
Con questa
politica fallimentare i governi violano i diritti fondamentali dei detenuti,
negano loro la protezione del diritto internazionale e non assolvono ai loro
compiti, riservando ai detenuti un trattamento degradante e disumano e
privandoli della libertà per un periodo indeterminato, senza nessun processo.
Solo nel 2015 tre persone hanno già perso la vita a causa delle pessime
condizioni di detenzione e dei maltrattamenti, mentre altre sono detenute da
quasi due anni senza essere state condannate per reati penali.
Αnche per i suoi
più convinti seguaci, questa politica è ormai ritenuta del tutto inefficiente
per quanto riguarda la gestione delle questioni attinenti ai migranti e ai
rifugiati, oltre che smisuratamente costosa e inadeguata ad affrontare le
ondate di rifugiati nei nostri giorni. Al contrario, ha umiliato e degradato
migliaia di persone, ha contribuito alla diffusione che lo straniero sia
spazzatura e vada trattato come un rifiuto e all’espansione del fascismo, del
razzismo e della xenofobia.
Solo
dall’1/1/2014 la CEDU ha emesso numerose sentenze di condanna contro il governo
greco per colpa di questa politica. [Sentenze n.63493/11 Η.Η. vs Grecia, 26452/11 Τatishvili
vs Grecia, 2134/12 & 2161/12 De Los Santos e De La Cruz vs Grecia, 26418/11
& 45884 Herman & Serazadishvili vs Grecia, 38352/12 Mohammad e altri vs
Grecia, 63542/11 AI.K. vs Grecia, 70586/11 Mohammad vs Grecia, 46673/10 A.E. vs
Grecia, 60622/11 M.D. vs Grecia, 78456/11 F.H. vs Grecia, tutte per violazione
del divieto di trattamento disumano e degradante in spazi di detenzione di
stranieri].
Le responsabilità
dei governanti e di tutti coloro che implementano le politiche governative di
cui sopra sono immense e devono essere assunte. È inoltre imperativo delineare
e implementare una politica diversa che rispetti la legge. In questa direzione,
misure come l’abrogazione della detenzione, l’attuazione del rinvio di 6 mesi
dell’allontanamento, la concessione di tempo per il rimpatrio volontario,
l’accesso libero a procedure di asilo efficienti e la creazione di strutture di
accoglienza e ospitalità sono passi ovvi e necessari per allinearsi al diritto
nazionale vigente e per porre fine a questa catastrofe. Qualsiasi tipo di
anchilosi ideologica, comprese le logiche preoccupazioni per la sorte di queste
persone, non sono una giustificazione sufficiente per questa violazione dei
fondamentali diritti individuali e sociali. La conformità alla legalità non è
un’opzione e non è negoziabile.
Atene, 6 Marzo 2015
GRUPPO DEGLI
AVVOCATI PER I DIRITTI DEI RIFUGIATI E DEI MIGRANTI
http://omadadikigorwn.blogspot.gr/