AYS Daily Digest 18/05/2021: 146 years in prison for rescue action
Man sentenced by Greek court// Critics on Greek ombudsman// Covid spreading in Moria// More people depart from Morrocco due to rumors of open borders
Greece
A man who tried to prevent a boat from capsizing has been sentenced to 146 years in prion by the court on Lesvos for smuggling and endangering people’s lives, according to Borderline Europe. The man said in court that he did not know steeering a wheel is considered a crime under Greek law, to which the judge asked: “How is it possible you did not know that what you were doing was illegal? Then why you did not come to Greece with a ferry or by buying a ticket?” The defense wants to file an appeal.
In a response to the Greek Ombudsman’s Interim Report on pushbacks to Turkey, the Border Violence Monitoring Network highlights some inconsistencies and shortcomings in the report, such as how it addresses the role of Greek authorities in pushbacks.
The Moria White Helmets and Moria Corona Awareness Team published another open letter, warning about increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases in the camp:
It is not only about people getting sick and possibly dying from it, or even the lack of hospital beds and staff and equipment for treatment.
Informal education activities have had to be suspended, the warmer weather has brought more insects inside the tents, and the food situation is still far from good. “People are completely exhausted, and they are feeling very hopeless. The promise we were given from Greek politicians and the EU was that there would be “no more Morias”, but everything is repeating itself”, the Moria groups criticize. They further demand NGOs to take Covid-19 prevention seriously and to spread the word about the risks of the virus and prevention measures.
WDR has published a documentary showing the situation of many unaccompanied minors in Athens. Instead of receiving an education, many resort to collecting bottles to generate some income, as they have little other means of support.
Preparing for the summer season, the Hope Project has published an updated donation list.
Sea
On Tuesday, high numbers of people arrived in Ceuta after Morrocco effectively opened its border to the Spanish enclave. It is estimated that some 8,000 people swam over. One person reportedly died. Authorities in Ceuta said half of the people who arrived have already been pushed back, and unaccompanied minors have been transferred to reception centers. The military has been deployed to the border as part of their response.
“We have been able to observe that the police are using force, using batons against possible asylum seekers, and therefore, violating these people’s right to international protection,” No Name Kitchen stated, demanding legal guarantees for people seeking international protection.
Alarmphone warns that with the rumour of open borders, the number of people arriving in Melilla is increasing, as well as the number of boats trying to reach Tenerife.
Further reading: Why nearly 6,000 migrants were able to enter Spain’s Ceuta enclave in one single day
In a shipwreck off Sfax, Tunisia, at least 50 people went missing; 33 survivors were found. “They had departed last Sunday from Zwara, Libya”, Flavio Di Giacomo, spokesperson for IOM Mediterranean, states. InfoMigrants adds that 90 people were reportedly on board. A Tunisian News Agency wrote that navy units rescued another 113 people on Monday.
Having rescued more than 400 people in the past days, Sea Eye 4 demands to be assigned a safe harbor in Palermo, writes Leoluca Orlando on Twitter. Civil Fleet announced that Palermo’s mayor will welcome them. Malta has already refused responsibility for the rescued people.
Since 2014, IOM has documented more than 40,000 deaths during migration. With more than half of it happening in the Mediterranean, this route is probably the deadliest in the world. The EU still refuses to re-establish a coordinated search and rescue operation.
Italy
As the first respondent on Italy’s call for solidarity, Ireland announced it will welcome ten people who recently arrived in Italy, InfoMigrants reports.
40 people have arrived from Lesvos to Italy through the humanitarian corridor, among them 13 unaccompanied minors, Sant’Egidio writes.
The regional government of Sicily announced that they will set up assistance centers in every province of the island to boost integration. Some 190,000 people are expected to benefit from this programme. Some 1.4 million Euros have been allocated for this project, according to InfoMigrants.
Further reading: Migrant transit center in former convent of Ventimiglia
Bosnia
More than 150 people have been evicted from the Nursing Home, a squat in the center of Bihac. According to No Name Kitchen, those evicted have been transferred to Lipa camp. “However, when the people landed in the above mentioned Lipa camp (for the moment controlled by local authorities) they were rejected at the Lipa camp doors by security personnel, despite being moved there by the authorities themselves,” NNK continues. As the people were not able to take their belongings with them, they expect more requests the next days. Some people were already found in the mountains around the camp with nowhere to go.
EU
In its precidency summary, Portugal mentioned how digital solutions have not been used yet for deportations, Statewatch summarizes. It “has not always run smoothly, especially when it comes to identifying and documenting illegally-staying third-country nationals subject to forced return.”
Worth Reading
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