The Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakis, sends the details of the recent events in Evros to the prosecutor.
Informing the competent committee of the Parliament, together with the Minister of Citizen Protection, Takis Theodorikakos, about the current developments in immigration, and in particular on the occasion of, as he said, “the new attempts to instrumentalize human suffering”, he emphasized that Greece does not accept we are the gateway for smuggling rings.
Regarding the specific incident in Evros, he said that Greece, of course, provides the right to submit an asylum request to the “38”, which is being examined, while also providing the appropriate living conditions and, where required, the necessary medical assistance.
He emphasized, however, that the case is being examined in depth by the competent authorities and the data collected is being evaluated.
Specifically, he said that from the research and analysis of the data so far, “significant inconsistencies” arise in the “history of the island’s immigrants”, which “I will submit to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Supreme Court so that they can be associated with the relevant case files”.
As Mr. Mitarakis said, “the 38 themselves released a video from the islet, which was presented by a British television channel (https://www.channel4.com/news/ngo-calls-for-full-investigation- into-syrians-stranded-on-greece-turkey-border-islet)”.
“First of all, in the video they say that it was filmed on the island, on 15/8 at 13:00. But as they testified, they say that they passed on 14/8 in the morning on the Greek shore. So they spread the word that they are trapped while they were gone. How did they leave? With a boat that a passer-by left for them. Others say that they found a boat from 13/8 but were “afraid to cross” while according to their statement there was an immediate danger to their health. Of course, the question arises whether someone can be considered trapped in an islet when the distance from the Greek coast was 15 meters, shallow. I went to see this distance myself a week ago” said Mr. Mitarakis
He also stated that “in the video they talked about serious health issues. One sister (9-year-old Aiwa), they say in the video that she was gravely ill for days”, which was not the case, as she was found to be in good condition “Similarly, for the pregnant woman, they say in the video that she started bleeding, but according to the hospital she does not have a problem with the pregnancy.”
“Finally, it was reported that there is a dead child buried on the islet,” said Mr. Mitarakis and noted: “What do we know: According to foreign media reports, he had passed away before August 10 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news /2022/8/10/child-feared-dead-on-greek-islet-where-refugees-are-stranded).He is buried on the islet, unmarked, in an unknown location, parents do not know. I note this as they were in 38 people who knew how to send an exact spot through a mobile phone app. There is no photo or video of the child being sick, the burial site, the burial, etc.”
Mr. Mitarakis noted that he cannot file the written correspondence of the European Court of Human Rights in the minutes of the Parliament, due to the confidentiality clause, but, as he said, “there is no need – dear colleague Mr. Katrougalos published the list on twitter on 19 August (9:39 AM – 19 Aug 2022)”:
“In the EDAD list, a family is mentioned, I will not repeat the surname even though many have done so, with 4 children. In positions 10 & 37 is the couple. Two children from a first marriage, in positions 22 & 23. Two small children are listed as stranded , from the couple’s current marriage, in positions 35 & 36. These two children are listed with the father’s surname, nationality SYRIA and years of birth 2017 and 2018 respectively.
Two children were rescued and are in Greek territory. With two differences. One instead of born in 2018, listed in the Court document, was declared as born in 2019. The other, with a one-letter difference in his first name, Maya instead of Maria. I note that Maya is also used as a diminutive of Maria. Maria also, to remember they call the mother. You may ask how common it is for mother and daughter to have the same first name. In a total of 6,575 asylum requests from Syrian nationals submitted from 01/01/2021 until today, zero cases were found with the same first name in the same family. For this fact, it was initially reported, after his arrival in Greece, that the deceased was the twin of the three-year-old Hanin, now they report that she was the twin of Maya. But the 5th child was not on the Court’s list,” observed Mr. Mitarakis.
He continued, saying: “In addition to the statements of the parents, from the rest of the statements received, very few, refer to the death of a small girl on the small island. While they were all sitting together on the island, as was also seen in the video.”
These facts, the Minister of Immigration and Asylum reiterated, “will be submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office, for the judgment of the Justice” and added: “Unfortunately, the family’s generally respected decision not to give permission to the Turkish authorities for exhumation and transport to Greece, for a dignified funeral, it obviously makes the investigation more difficult.”
Finally, he noted that all EU countries, regardless of the political direction of the government, are not in the mood to contribute with significant relocations, in case of an increase in arrivals: “Good wishes, but here we have a reality, which requires the unwavering protection of our borders ” write down.
Today, Mr. Mitarakis concluded, Greece is a very different country compared to previous years in terms of immigration management:
– While Europe is experiencing a 57% increase in flows, Greece is no longer a major gateway. We reduced total flows in 2021 by 88% compared to 2019. A performance that is the lowest of the decade, with 2022 looming as the second best year.
– We supported local communities, local government with 85 million euros from 2020.
– We reduced the effects of the crisis and proved in practice that we are grateful to the local communities that shouldered this special burden.
– The international environment remains unstable.
– In this context, determination, unity and a national strategy are needed.
Source: Capital
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