HRW: Call to Greece #Opentheislands

13.12.2017: Good news! Last week the Greek government pledged to transfer 5,000 asylum seekers trapped on Greece’s islands, living in dangerous, overcrowded conditions, to mainland Greece by December 15. Currently, more than 1,500 people have already been transferred.

This decision came from the top – Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Which means we owe a huge thank you to everyone who reached out to him through our campaign, calling on him to protect these asylum seekers.

This is a major positive step, but there is more yet to do. Another 10,000 plus asylum seekers will remain trapped on the islands – some forced to sleep in summer tents or on the ground – because Greece, together with other EU countries, have a policy in place to prevent these people from leaving the islands and to try to return them to Turkey.

Let’s keep turning up the heat on Greece’s officials!

First off, we want to make sure all 5,000 people are moved by the deadline of Friday, December 15th. And second, we want this policy lifted once and for all. Join us in calling on Tsipras to open the islands!

Thanks for your support!

Asylum Crisis on Greek Islands

UPDATE: Last week the Greek government pledged to transfer 5,000 asylum seekers to mainland Greece by December 15. Currently, more than 1,500 people have already been transferred.

Winter is nearly here, and more than 15,500 asylum seekers are trapped on Greece’s islands in worsening weather conditions. European Union-sponsored processing centres housing them are filthy and overcrowded – many people, including women and children, are forced to sleep in summer tents or on the ground.

This is happening because Greece, with the support of other EU countries, has put in place a containment policy to prevent asylum seekers from leaving the islands to the mainland. But the Greek government can change this. They can ensure that by December 21, the start of winter, no one sleeps in these arduous conditions. It is high time they ended this inhumane containment and #opentheislands.

ACT NOW

Please tell Greece’s Prime Minister and EU member states to end the containment of asylum seekers on the Islands by December 21, and call on other European leaders to support Greece in doing so!

TWEET ALEXIS TSIPRAS

Target Greek Prime Minister on Facebook

Help turn the heat up! Click on the Facebook button below and paste the following message as a comment into Alexis Tsipras’ latest post.

It’s time for Greece to protect asylum-seekers trapped on Greek islands. Declare an end to the containment policy on the islands and allow people to move to mainland Greece.

Eva Cossé
Western Europe researcher
Human Rights Watch
@Eva_Cosse