The background to the removal of the outgoing Coast Guard chief […] The removal An “apology” seems to be the reason behind the the replacement of the Coast Guard’s chief [Dimitris Bandias] by his “younger” Rear Admiral Athanasios Athanasopoulos who got promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral. On the 20th of January 2014 several … Continue reading
By Anta Psarra A clause undermining the new Immigration Bill has come back into the agenda. It entails the prosecution and deportation for any immigrant or refugee who claims “falsely” being subject to ill-treatment by state authorities. The new Immigration Bill is voted today. It started as a conventional attempt to facilitate legal immigrants to … Continue reading
By Anta Psarra Behind the Coast Guard officers and illegal ‘refoulements’, there is the government which provokes anyone seeking clarifications about the Pharmakonisi affair. Informal ‘refoulements’ constitute the government’s central line. Those drowned are ‘collateral damages’ of the governmental line. Behind the Coast Guard men there is the government. It provokes those demanding an inquiry … Continue reading
Man, believed to be Syrian, died while trying to swim ashore Victim was among a group of eight others – seven men and one woman – who were left at some point to swim ashore by a trafficker who had ferried them from the nearby Turkish coast A man, believed to be Syrian, has been … Continue reading
Survivors say coastguards refused to help them as vessel sank and stamped on hands of those clinging to Greek boat Helena Smith in Athens The Guardian, Monday 27 January 2014 20.14 GMT Even now, eight days later, they can both still taste the sea. Just as they can still feel the water slipping through their … Continue reading
Migrants claim they were beaten on uninhabited island before being cast adrift in Turkish waters In one incident, refugees say there were detained incommunicado and subjected to severe beatings on an uninhabited island after being apprehended by the Greek authorities before being set adrift in Turkish waters Refugees attempting to enter Greece are being systematically, illegally … Continue reading
I can't relax in Greece 