Greece’s parliament passed a bill on 15 May aimed at making asylum procedures simpler and faster and easing overcrowding in its refugee camps. Five camps on islands close to the Turkish coast hold more than double their capacity, and have been mired in violence over living conditions and delays in asylum claims that often take months to process. Human rights groups and the European Commission, which has offered Greece millions of euros in emergency aid, have criticised the government for not doing enough to manage the situation. Migration minister Dimitris Vitsas acknowledged that the bill ‘will not magically solve the refugee and migration issue’, but said the government wanted to reduce the wait for thousands of asylum seekers. Human rights groups criticised the bill, which foresees a shortened appeals procedure for rejected asylum seekers, saying it would lead to slapdash procedures violating refugees’ rights.
Greece to ease overcrowding in island camps
Written by David Fletcher 18 May 2018Additional Info
- Pray: for the rights of the asylum seekers and migrants to be respected; for all those working to support the people in the refugee camps; and for sufficient resources to be released to ensure that the camps are not cramped and have adequate facilities. (Proverbs 31:8)
- More: www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-greece-asylum/greece-passes-asylum-bill-to-ease-overcrowding-in-island-camps-idUSKCN1IG37J?il=0
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