AYS Daily Digest 3/4/20: No one is taking responsibility.
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Europe, Refugees, Digest, Greece, Turkey

SYRIA

Many of the tents in the camps in northern Syria were flooded due to the storms that hit the area. The White Helmets are working to respond to the situation and limit the damage, they reported. Find more updates on their social media sites.

TURKEY

At least two men have been killed at the Turkish-Greek border, after thousands of people had been transferred to Pazarkule in February, according to Amnesty international research. One woman is still missing after Greek forces fired live ammunition and tear gas against the people. And more have been beaten and injured.

“Allegations of violence must be promptly and impartially investigated. Everyone should be treated humanely, shielded from violence and be granted access to protection in the countries where they are seeking safety” said Massimo Moratti, Deputy Director of the Amnesty International Europe Regional Office.

Amnesty further reports about illegal pushbacks to Turkish territory. Also sea patrols in the Aegean region were increased and prevented boats from arriving on the islands. ”Everybody who had arrived after 1 March 2020 was arbitrarily held in port facilities and other areas, unable to claim asylum and at risk of return to Turkey or to countries of ‘origin or transit’”. Meanwhile, the detained people have been transferred to the mainland to bigger detention centers, still unable to ask for asylum and at risk of being deported.

Greek border forces implemented a government policy to repel them instead of taking their asylum claims even after they had entered Greek territory. This violates international human rights law, Amnesty reiterates

The one-month long suspension of asylum applications has ended now, but all asylum services will be closed for at least one more week due to the Corona pandemic, InfoMigrants reports.

On the Turkish side, the jungle was evicted at the end of March and most of the people were transferred to Istanbul. According to The Common Sense Initiative, the last people who arrived at the bus station have been moved into apartments now.

GREECE

As the situation in overcrowded Greek camps remains inhumane, the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum has eased the access to healthcare.

At the same time, hotel owners on Lesvos refuse to host vulnerable groups. Previously, the LIBE committee had offered to financially support the transfer. This leaves almost 20,000 people in squalid conditions, where physical distance is almost impossible, as people need to gather on a small area, standing in line for hours for food. Residents complain there is no prevention. Meanwhile, eight EU member states have agreed to relocate 1,600 unaccompanied minors form Greece and the Greek authorities have identified some 2,000 children who have been age assessed and are ready to leave.

“We have no masks or gloves. There is no social distancing. We still wait for hours in the line for our meals. We experience this situation differently from the rest of the world. There is no prevention” — Male asylum-seeker from Africa, Vathy camp, Samos

There are still free offers of psycho-social support for volunteers. Find out more details at the Information Point for Volunteers on Samos:

ITALY

According to Caritas in Italy, applications for stay permits after February 23 have been suspended until April 15. Expired permits will be valid until June 15. It is still possible to ask for asylum, but auditions are halted. Appeals for rejections will be extended, as all procedures are suspended.

Mayors and NGOs have warned about bad working conditions for farm workers, especially in Italy.

HUNGARY

Hungary starves 34th detainee in the transit zone

ECtHR granted the urgent request and ordered authorities to start providing food to the people detained in the Hungarian transit zones who are deprived of food. Interim measures were issued under Rule 39 by the European Court of Human Rights to the Government of Hungary.

FRANCE

A health crisis in deplorable conditions in camps

Despite the Covid-19 outbreak, a small number of our volunteers continue to act every day in Calais and Grande-Synthe.

“We do everything we can to guarantee their safety and that of the exiles we help. In a context that further isolates migrant populations, our actions respond to essential needs and allow us to monitor the human rights situation.

L’Auberge des migrants is reducing its activities, but solidarity continues.

In Calais, at least 700 to 800 exiles survive. The sub-prefect has set up a health chain, but is still working on a shelter plan. From Tuesday 31 March, containment spaces were to be proposed, but the operation is delayed… In conjunction with Médecins du Monde and the Red Cross, Civil Security offers coronavirus diagnostics and accommodation for patients who do not require hospitalization. But there will remain many people in the camps, and at least two patients were tested positive in Covid 19 according to the press.

In Grande-Synthe, where 500 to 600 exiles survive, the sub-prefecture also sets up a care chain, but no accommodation for the moment.

Survival conditions have deteriorated. In Calais, the Active Living (state operator) no longer distributes hot meals and does not recharge telephones, which are essential for contacting emergency services and communicating with associations. At Grande-Synthe, food distribution takes place only every two or three days, and the exiles say they are hungry.

Daily evictions continue! Law enforcement continues to dislodge people, most of the time without a solution to relocate.

Humanitarian associations have seen a decrease in the number of their volunteers. At our warehouse, from 50 to 60 volunteers, the number fell to about ten, plus a dozen who work from home. We have closed our kitchen, operated by Refugee Community Kitchen, since March 25, and we no longer distribute hot meals in Calais or Grande-Synthe. The washing of the refugees’ clothes did not really start because it relies on the day reception of the Catholic Relief, which also had to be closed. We continue to distribute tents with our partner Collective Aid, blankets and wood to heat and cook with Help Refugees.

In this way, we focus on our core activities, within our capabilities, and especially on the safety of our volunteers and recipients. We continue to alert human rights organizations to the situation on the ground,” L’Auberge des Migrants reported.