Category: Statements

Since 22 March, 46 people held in Korinthos detention centre have been on hunger strike protesting their arbitrary imprisonment, the violation of their rights and the inhuman conditions of detention.

A month ago, on 26 February, 13 other people went on hunger strike in the same detention centre. These 13 people were arrested after a shipwreck in December and have been detained ever since with no further explanation, denying them the right to ask for asylum. This group, having first been shipwrecked, were immediately placed in pre-removal detention, despite the Greek Ombudsperson requesting their immediate release. While on strike, the police raided their cells, threatening and manipulating them into ending it. A few days later, 8 people were transferred from Korinthos to Amygdaleza detention center, without being given a reason.

Continue reading Solidarity With The Detainees On Hunger Strike In Korinthos Detention Centre

At this very moment, over 2700 people are detained in Greece as “smugglers” for exercising their freedom of movement or after being found guilty of “facilitating” it in others. Even more people are imprisoned in the rest of Europe. People on the move are often arrested and convicted of such “crimes” after entering Europe. They might have been driving boats or cars across a border but, equally likely, they might not. Some were arrested completely at random. Some were simply those sitting next to their dinghy’s steering gear. Others were the only ones in their boat with a bit of nautical knowledge. Some might have paid a bit less for their trip. Others might have received some money. In Greek law a person driving a boat is considered a “facilitator”, no matter if money is involved or not. Despite its harmless connotations, this word – “facilitator” – defines the lives of the people labelled by it.

Continue reading Free the Captains!

iuventa-crew PRESS RELEASE

Judge to announce decision in IUVENTA case on 19 April

Trapani, 02.03.24 – Today marked the final day of the preliminary hearing against the iuventa-crew. Following the prosecution’s unexpected request to drop the charges, the defense delivered a powerful closing argument, demanding not only the dismissal of the case but also the full recognition of the legality of all actions. Moreover, they called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the case to establish accountability for the erroneous investigation and its serious implications. The judge announced that he would deliver his decision on 19 April 2024.

The four final days of the preliminary hearing in the Iuventa case began on Wednesday with an unexpected turn. During the presentation of the final arguments, the prosecution, who was the first to speak, surprisingly requested for the charges to be dropped (for more information, please refer to Wednesday’s press release here), despite having pursued the case for almost 7 years.
They did not argue not that no crimes were committed, however, but that the defendants’ intent could not be sufficiently proven.

The defense team of the iuventa-crew continued their closing arguments on Thursday and Friday, vehemently disagreeing with this rationale. Over the course of several hours, they systematically refuted and dismantled all alleged evidence pertaining to the incidents in question. Moreover, they emphasized that beyond the factual reconstruction of the specific incidents, the entry of rescued individuals into Italy should be considered lawful under any circumstance. They argued that all actions taken by the iuventa-crew were lawful and well within their rights – grounded in both international and national legal principles such as the notion of distress and the duty to rescue, as well as the fundamental rights of the accused.

They also highlighted that since the seizure of the IUVENTA and throughout the ongoing trial, many pertinent facts have been established by other courts. For example, the recent ruling by the court of cassation reiterating that Libya is not a safe port directly applies to the IUVENTA case.

Additionally, they reiterated that the trial was political, evidenced by the politically driven investigation. Despite the lack of evidence indicating wrongdoing, authorities persisted in their pursuit. The Ministry of Interior even enlisted the special branch of the police to take over the investigation, indicating a strong political influence.

The defence lawyers demanded that the court not simply dismiss the case due to an alleged lack of evidence on the intent of the accused but instead grant full recognition that the actions of the iuventa-crew were not only lawful but also in line with their fundamental rights.

Furthermore, the iuventa-crew’s defense joined a motion requesting the court to compel the prosecution to investigate the misleading nature of the allegations made against the iuventa-crew.

During today’s hearing, the judge asked for some more weeks to deliver his decision and scheduled the 19th of April for this.

For background information download the PRESS KIT or visit their WEBSITE!
For further requests, INTERVIEWS and statements please contact them:
press@solidarity-at-sea.org and Phone: +491762364311

On Monday 4th March, four of the Moria 6, young men from Afghanistan convicted of burning down Moria camp will have their appeal trial against their ten year sentences. This appeal has already been postponed from 6th March last year, leaving the defendants to lose yet another year of their lives trapped in detention. We stand in solidarity with them, letting them know that they are not alone!

To be clear, it is not our business to determine how Moria burned: all we want to say is that without a doubt it had to. For years the situation in the camp had been deteriorating. Originally intended for 2,800 people, the population grew until it peaked in 2019 at around 20,000. It was notorious for a lack of hygiene, lack of basic needs, rapes and stabbings. In the end, those living there had enough, and in the beginning of 2020 they came to the streets to demand better living conditions. The response was a far-right takeover of Moria village and a general acceleration of far-right violence in Lesvos. What followed was a never-ending Covid lock-down on Moria camp, giving the far-right, and the government, what they wanted – no more migrants in public space.

Continue reading Call for Solidarity: Gathering with the Moria 6 outside Mytilene court, 4th of March 8:30

On the 6th of January, an invitation to contractors for emergency needs to strengthen the system of reception of immigrants and refugees in Lesvos was issued by the Greek government totaling a whopping 15 million Euros. The budget provided is allegedly for heating, motor oil, transport of non food items, restoring housing areas, strengthening the health system, and the expansion of the capacity of the Mavrovouni camp. While 15 million euros is already an unfathomable amount of capital to comprehend, the vague description of where this money is supposed to go leaves a lot of questions, which deserve a closer look:

Continue reading A never ending list of Questions

What would have been a moment of joy for many people turned yet into another slap in the face.

After waiting for over a year for an outcome on their asylum procedure, during the last months over 2000 people have received their positive decision. However, being recognized as a refugee doesn’t mean that you can leave the camp or the island immediately, since it can take several months for travel documents to be issued. However, the special task force is currently on Lesvos and is issuing documents in the hope of speeding up the process. Regardless, people still have to wait over a month in order to get their papers. On Tuesday 14 December, the camp’s policy suddenly changed once again.

Continue reading A Fitting End To Yet Another Miserable Year

The EU has just introduced a new Migration and Asylum Pact, and it’s significant for all the wrong reasons.. Brace yourselves for a useless migration policy that’s full of lies about why people move, and is even more vicious against them, further boosting the extreme right framework. The Migration Pact comprises five regulations: data control, border supervision, legal safeguards, crisis management, and the treatment of asylum seekers. The latter is pivotal because under the current arrangement, countries such as Spain, Italy, or Greece bear the brunt as the initial destination.

The pact tightens the criteria for granting asylum, resulting in prolonged detention periods at the borders. Remarkably, the pact sanctions the indefinite detention of children. Families, kids included, might find themselves caged at the borders or booted off to some so-called “safe third countries.”

Border officials are now authorized to conduct thorough pre-entry control, including fingerprint identification and the collection of facial data from children as young as six. They are also empowered to conduct searches if an individual is perceived as a “security threat, violent, or unlawfully armed,” as stated by the European Parliament.

The pact oversees every aspect, from the arrival of asylum seekers on EU soil to the decision of acceptance or rejection. It is designed to replace and fortify existing regulations, a deadlock that persisted for years until the EU Council reached an agreement in June. The newly implemented rules outline “flexible compulsory solidarity,” mandating each EU country to either accommodate a specified number of asylum seekers or contribute monetarily to a collective fund to finance the borders.

The “mandatory but flexible solidarity” sets quotas for the redistribution of asylum seekers. If a state rejects its share, a contribution of 20,000 euros per person to the common fund is mandated. Partners can also contribute tangible resources or assume management of individuals on their territory, even if they entered through another route.

But here’s the real talk: No pact can stop us.

We will not cease until the borders are destroyed.

No one is illegal.

No to the European border regime.

Get the PDF including background information here

“What am I to do without exile, without a long night staring at the water?”
– Mahmoud Darwish

For Gazans, the Eastern shore of the Mediterranean is a horizon. On all other frontiers, they have been subject to blockade since 2006, enclosed in what has been called “the world’s largest open-air prison”. The sea at least carries the possibility of hope. When, however, they try to cross this sea through the Aegean into Europe, it becomes a prison wall: from 2022-2023, more than 10,000 Palestinians were pushed back from the Greek islands while attempting to cross the Aegean Sea, the second largest nationality group (after Afghans) to be subject to this practice. Not only does Europe, through its blind-eye to the current Israeli onslaught, fail to protect the right of Palestinians to live in their own land, it even denies them the right to live in exile.

Continue reading From Gaza to Lesvos

During the last months we have seen the Greek State mentioning how efficiently they are rescuing people from the sea, and after the Pylos shipwreck it seemed like the authorities had changed their methods when it comes to pushbacks. It was noticed that there were hardly any life rafts found by the Turkish Coast Guard during summer, this could indicate that most probably there were not many pushbacks from land. But in fact, the border violence in Greece, and especially in the Aegean Sea, is still ongoing. In the last week alone, at least five incidents (where 6 people died and 1 is missing) of border violence made the news in the Aegean islands.

Continue reading Another deadly week of border violence in the Aegean Sea

The wildfires are raging again in Europe’s south. In Greece, 1.2 million acres of forest and several villages have already been destroyed. Countless people and animals have been displaced and lost their homes.

Continue reading Headhunters in Evros: the civilian face of Pushbacks