‘Asylum Seekers Once Again Used as Bargaining Chips in a Political Game’

* Photos at the top: Anadolu Agency (AA)

Amnesty International has released a statement about the refugees leaving Turkey for Europe through Greece as well as the plans of the country to temporarily suspend the registration of asylum requests.

"People who are seeking asylum in Greece should be helped, not treated as criminals or a security threat", Eve Geddie, the Director of Amnesty International's European Institutions Office, has indicated.

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The statement came in the wake of Turkey's decision to open its borders for refugees who want to leave the country for Europe after an airstrike claimed the lives of 34 soldiers in Syria's Idlib on February 27. Since then, refugees have been heading for borders to reach Europe through Greece.

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In response to the rising influx of refugees, Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis made a statement on March 1 and announced that the National Security Council decided to increase "the level of deterrence at their borders to the maximum." He also indicated that "they would suspend asylum applications for a month and deport migrants entering illegally."

'An appalling betrayal of human rights responsibilities'

Releasing a written statement against the above background, Amnesty International has indicated that "the inhumane measures which the Greek authorities are taking to prevent people from entering the country are an appalling betrayal of Greece's human rights responsibilities and will put the lives of people fleeing violence at risk."

Stressing that "everyone has a right to seek asylum", Eve Geddie, he Director of Amnesty International's European Institutions Office, has said, 

"Deporting people without due process could mean sending them back to the horrors of war or expose them to grave human rights violations, breaching the fundamental principle of non-refoulement.

"The reckless measures taken by Greek authorities are a blatant breach of EU and international law that will put lives at risk. People seeking asylum are once again used as bargaining chips in a callous political game."

'Refrain from using excessive force'

The organization has also referred to the recent reports that locals of the Lesbos island have been preventing the refugee boats from coming ashore and they attacked the activists and the cars of volunteers and journalists.

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Regarding these attacks, Eve Geddie has also said,

"Greece must refrain from using excessive force and ensure search and rescue operations can operate at sea. People who are seeking asylum in Greece should be helped, not treated as criminals or a security threat.

"European Union (EU) member states must also do far more to share responsibility for asylum seekers arriving in Turkey, both through financial support and ensuring safe pathways to Europe.

"The European Commission must also urgently coordinate any support that might be required to Greece and Bulgaria, to ensure asylum seekers have access to adequate reception and asylum procedures." (SD)