AYS Daily Digest 28/05/2020: New testimonies of violent push backs
As of next Monday, first of June, some 11.000 people with recognized refugee statues will have to leave their accommodations on the mainland. As included in the Greek Asylum legislation from February 2020, people with a positive decision of their asylum application will only be allowed to stay in camps and other subsidized facilities for one month. Everybody who got his positive decision before May 2nd will therefore have to leave as of beginning of June. It is argued that through this step, space is created to be able to transfer more people from the overcrowded camps on the islands. But since Greece is doing little to nothing to integrate recognized refugees, the risk that many will face homelessness is extremely high. Finding an apartment and a job to support oneself as a refugee in a country that’s economy is still struggling and now hit by the lockdown will be close to impossible for most refugees.

No Border Kitchen Lesvos gives an account on Facebook on what that actually means for people on the ground. They reported about a house in Mytilene, Lesvos, that is run by the NGO Illaktida and supported by UNHCR and UNICEF. The house is designed to host people who are regarded as most vulnerable for the time of their asylum procedure and, if necessary, beyond. The facility costs the Greek government nothing, since Illaktida and UNHCR are paying the rent and the costs of the project. Still, also people from this facility are supposed to be evicted. Some of the people who are now supposed to travel to the mainland and live without any support did not even receive their travel documents yet and have appointments with official institutions on the island after the date of their eviction. Again, all of them belong to the group of most vulnerable people.

No Border Kitchen Lesvos states in their post:

“By mistreating even the people that have been able to prove their asylum claim as valid, it fits neatly into their policy of making greece an “unnatracitive” country for migration. And this is a very nasty business.“

For more information also see:
['Are You Syrious']
['Digest', 'Europe', 'Greece', 'Refugees', 'Pushback']