
Are You Syrious? — Weekly Digest (31/7/2017–6/8/2017)
Summarized: this week’s reports about the refugee situation in Greece courtesy of Are you Syrious?.
The hunger strike
- Arash Hampay reported being threatened with a knife on July 31st at 12am. A group of men turned up close to him on motorcycles.
- A documentary on the hunger strike and the situation at Moria in Lesvos explaining the situation was posted on August 1st.
- Irish Member of the European Parliament Matt Carthy called on the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney to urgently intervene in the case of Arash Bahrooz and Hussein Kozhin on August 2nd. The two have been on hunger strike for over a month, demanding an end to arbitrary imprisonment and inhumane treatment, including psychological and physical abuse of refugees in Moria detention centre.
“International intervention is now required to save their lives.
These people have already been forced to flee war and persecution in their own countries. As their condition deteriorates and the situation becomes grave, we need to see action from the international community, and the EU in particular,” Carthy said
- Volunteers from No border Kitchen Lesvos joined the strike on August 3rd for a day.

- The Refucomm team reminds about disgraceful living conditions and lack of basic care at Chios.
“No one should have had to live like this. Not when the EU has provided such huge sums to take care of refugees stuck in Greece. In the winter we watched people freezing in the snow, dying trying to keep warm, and now summer is here people are living in blazing heat with no protection from the sun. The water is regularly cut off. It is not a proper shelter, it never was. The long waits while Greece sorts out their procedures led to self-immolation.
The stain of Chios will live long in history.”
- A protest organised by No Border Kitchen Lesvos took place on August 5th to declare solidarity to the strikers.

The cases of unaccompanied minors
The Greek Ombudsman condemns authorities
Another report surfaced on July 31st which revealed “blatant violations of the rights of unaccompanied, underage refugees and migrants.”
Conducted by the Greek Ombudsman from July 17th to 19th, it called for the immediate preparation of adequate accommodation centers.
The authority made reference to prolonged detention in unsafe and inappropriate conditions at police stations and refugee centers across northern Greece.
One example which was highlighted was that of 17 minors who were found detained in a single 25 m2 cell.
Human Rights Watch
On August 2nd Human Rights Watch sent a letter to Greek Minister of Immigration Policy, Ioannis Mouzalas, expressing concern at the dramatic increase in the number of unaccompanied migrant children detained in “protective custody.” Their research has documented the arbitrary and prolonged detention of unaccompanied migrant children in police cells and other detention centers, in violation of international and Greek law.
Expressing concern over dire conditions in which unaccompanied minors are held in Greece, the letter pointed to the fact that according to data from Greece’s National Center for Social Solidarity (EKKA), 117 unaccompanied children were being detained under the police protective custody regime, while awaiting placement in a shelter.
On the same day, the EU Observer reported an increase in the number of migrant children in Greek prisons. In November 2016 there were only two, now there are 117.
The protest to family reunification
Another protest took place on August 2nd against the informal deal between Germany and Greece to delay family reunification cases.
The housing programme continues
The UNHCR housing program that is being financed by €93.5 million afforded by the EU is set to continue in 2018 and, possibly, 2019.
The program secures housing for asylum seekers for a year. It is set to extend to municipalities across the country in an effort to provide dignified living conditions to migrants and refugees.
Owners who want to rent their apartment are urged to submit an application to their municipality. Apartments must have a size ranging between 60 and 120 square meters. Any costs for alterations and repairs will be covered by the program, Greek media reports.
The islands
Chios
Starting August 3rd, Souda camp is emptied out and tents demolished.
https://twitter.com/Theurgia_Goetia/status/893535803758059520
While people at Souda are slowly moved from the camp, rumors are spread that Vial will be closed. Those still in Souda are not given enough information about what is happening or what is going to happen.
Samos
- Samos Volunteers describe the situation in Samos, where around 1,300 people are now crammed into an area set up to accomodate 700:
“There are 103 toilets in the camp and 98 showers. In summer, the water is cut-off constantly. The majority of people don’t have direct access to electricity or running water at all. The camp is overcrowded so privacy is non-existent. Safety, health and sanity are in constant jeopardy. The living standards are far beneath low.”
- A baby was born in Vathy on August 3rd. No more borders, No more tears writes that the newborn girl currently sleeps in a box, in a camp.
The mainland
Patras
On August 5th, local media reported that a man died on Friday in Patras and others were feared dead or injured, after the roof of a derelict building collapsed in the old harbor. They were refugees who were waiting to try to cross the sea and reach Italy.
Athens
Refugees have received European Qualifications Passports after successfully passing an evaluation process to verify their higher education credentials.
Fifty-four refugees, mostly from Syria, living in refugee camps in Attica have received the documentation through the first two rounds of the Council of Europe’s “Recognition of Qualifications held by Refugees” pilot program.
The document lists their education qualifications, work experience and language proficiency. It aims to provide refugees with an authorised assessment of their credentials that they can carry from one country to another. The scheme was specifically developed for refugees who do not have original documents proving their education qualification.
The Council of Europe is working with the Greek Ministry of Education and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to recruit students for the free assessment. The third round of assessment is set to take place in September with at at least 20 more refugees.
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