Latest news with #GreekPolice
The Independent
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Europe's human rights watchdog urges Greece to end summary deportation of migrants
Greece was urged Tuesday to implement stronger legal safeguards at its borders and adopt a 'zero-tolerance approach to summary returns" as reports of illegal deportations of migrants continue despite mounting international criticism. Michael O'Flaherty, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, issued the recommendations following a visit to Greece in February. 'The commissioner is concerned about the allegations received during his visit regarding persistent practices of summary returns — also referred to as 'pushbacks' or 'informal forced returns' — at both land and maritime borders,' the Council of Europe memorandum said. 'Returning people without carrying out an individual identification procedure prevents member states from establishing whether they may be sending them back to human rights abuses,' it added. It said O'Flaherty noted that the number of allegations had dropped in recent months. Athens has consistently denied the pushback allegations, maintaining that its border control measures comply with international law. In a written response to the commissioner, the Greek Police said its officers are involved only in the 'lawful prevention of illegal border crossings while migrants are still in Turkish territory and have not yet reached Greece.' The pushback allegations gained legal significance after the European Court of Human Rights ruled against Greece in January, finding that Athens had violated European human rights conventions by systematically expelling migrants without due process. The Greek government is tightening its migration policies. Migration Minister Makis Voridis has announced plans to extend the maximum detention period for rejected asylum seekers from 18 month to 24 months. 'The illegal migrant whose asylum application is rejected and who nevertheless does not leave for his country will face a much more unfavorable institutional environment than exists today — essentially to encourage voluntary departure,' Voridis told the Action 24 TV news channel. On Tuesday, the coast guard reported rescuing 158 migrants from three dinghies south of the island of Crete, with assistance from nearby commercial vessels and Frontex, the European Union's border protection agency. Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Strasbourg, France, the Council of Europe is an international organization dedicated to promoting human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. It has 46 member states.
06-05-2025
- Politics
Europe's human rights watchdog urges Greece to end summary deportation of migrants
ATHENS, Greece -- ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece was urged Tuesday to implement stronger legal safeguards at its borders and adopt a 'zero-tolerance approach to summary returns" as reports of illegal deportations of migrants continue despite mounting international criticism. Michael O'Flaherty, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, issued the recommendations following a visit to Greece in February. 'The commissioner is concerned about the allegations received during his visit regarding persistent practices of summary returns — also referred to as 'pushbacks' or 'informal forced returns' — at both land and maritime borders,' the Council of Europe memorandum said. 'Returning people without carrying out an individual identification procedure prevents member states from establishing whether they may be sending them back to human rights abuses,' it added. It said O'Flaherty noted that the number of allegations had dropped in recent months. Athens has consistently denied the pushback allegations, maintaining that its border control measures comply with international law. In a written response to the commissioner, the Greek Police said its officers are involved only in the 'lawful prevention of illegal border crossings while migrants are still in Turkish territory and have not yet reached Greece.' The pushback allegations gained legal significance after the European Court of Human Rights ruled against Greece in January, finding that Athens had violated European human rights conventions by systematically expelling migrants without due process. The Greek government is tightening its migration policies. Migration Minister Makis Voridis has announced plans to extend the maximum detention period for rejected asylum seekers from 18 month to 24 months. 'The illegal migrant whose asylum application is rejected and who nevertheless does not leave for his country will face a much more unfavorable institutional environment than exists today — essentially to encourage voluntary departure,' Voridis told the Action 24 TV news channel. On Tuesday, the coast guard reported rescuing 158 migrants from three dinghies south of the island of Crete, with assistance from nearby commercial vessels and Frontex, the European Union's border protection agency. Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Strasbourg, France, the Council of Europe is an international organization dedicated to promoting human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. It has 46 member states.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
More than 70 arrested during Athens riots after Molotov cocktails thrown at police
Molotov-wielding protesters clashed with police in Athens, engulfing the area in flames at the weekend. Footage shared on social media shows multiple burning vehicles in Exarchia, a neighourhood in the popular British tourist destination. Fireworks and stones were also thrown at the district police station, local media reports, with parked cars and motorbikes set alight. Athens police detained 72 people and reported one officer was injured during the turmoil, according to Greek channel EPTNews. The disturbances started after a music performance in a nearby park, with the rioting extending to other streets, witnesses told the broadcaster. According to Greek Police, a series of violent incidents took place late Saturday night in the Exarchia district. Just before midnight, unidentified individuals launched attacks on officers stationed at the junction of Kallidromiou and E. Benaki streets, The Standard reported. The assailants reportedly used Molotov cocktails and stones, prompting the police to respond with chemical agents. The riots began just days after a bomb exploded near the offices of Hellenic Train, Greece's main railway services operator. The explosion Friday evening resulted in limited damage and no injuries. The perpetrators had forewarned of the explosion by calling two media organizations about 40 minutes before it happened. It follows widespread public anger over a 2023 railway disaster, Greece's worst, in which 57 people were killed and dozens more injured when a freight train and a passenger train heading in opposite directions were accidentally put on the same track. The deadly accident exposed severe deficiencies in Greece's railway system, including in safety systems, and has triggered mass protests led by relatives of the victims against the country's conservative government around the accident's second anniversary. Greece has been experiencing ongoing demonstrations in the past month. Last week, thousands of Greeks gathered in Athens to demand higher wages to cope with rising living costs and a one-day strike left ferries docked at ports, flights grounded and trains at a standstill. The conservative government has increased the monthly minimum wage by a cumulative 35 per cent to 880 euros since 2019. But many households still struggle to make ends meet amid fast-rising food, power and housing costs, Greece's largest labour unions say.
The Independent
14-04-2025
- The Independent
More than 70 arrested during Athens riots after Molotov cocktails thrown at police
Molotov-wielding protesters clashed with police in Athens, engulfing the area in flames at the weekend. Footage shared on social media shows multiple burning vehicles in Exarchia, a neighourhood in the popular British tourist destination. Fireworks and stones were also thrown at the district police station, local media reports, with parked cars and motorbikes set alight. Athens police detained 72 people and reported one officer was injured during the turmoil, according to Greek channel EPTNews. The disturbances started after a music performance in a nearby park, with the rioting extending to other streets, witnesses told the broadcaster. According to Greek Police, a series of violent incidents took place late Saturday night in the Exarchia district. Just before midnight, unidentified individuals launched attacks on officers stationed at the junction of Kallidromiou and E. Benaki streets, The Standard reported. The assailants reportedly used Molotov cocktails and stones, prompting the police to respond with chemical agents. The riots began just days after a bomb exploded near the offices of Hellenic Train, Greece's main railway services operator. The explosion Friday evening resulted in limited damage and no injuries. The perpetrators had forewarned of the explosion by calling two media organizations about 40 minutes before it happened. It follows widespread public anger over a 2023 railway disaster, Greece's worst, in which 57 people were killed and dozens more injured when a freight train and a passenger train heading in opposite directions were accidentally put on the same track. The deadly accident exposed severe deficiencies in Greece's railway system, including in safety systems, and has triggered mass protests led by relatives of the victims against the country's conservative government around the accident's second anniversary. Greece has been experiencing ongoing demonstrations in the past month. Last week, thousands of Greeks gathered in Athens to demand higher wages to cope with rising living costs and a one-day strike left ferries docked at ports, flights grounded and trains at a standstill. The conservative government has increased the monthly minimum wage by a cumulative 35 per cent to 880 euros since 2019. But many households still struggle to make ends meet amid fast-rising food, power and housing costs, Greece's largest labour unions say.
