SYRIZA: To investigate the complaints about the return of 50 refugees to Evros

The SYRIZA-PS calls for immediate information and an in-depth investigation of complaints “about an incident of repatriation on July 14, of a group of 50 refugees, who were forcibly transported and abandoned on an islet of Evros” in its announcement.

The announcement refers to today’s publication of Ef.Syn. and involves 34 Syrians, 13 people of Kurdish origin and 3 Palestinians, among them a 70-year-old woman with diabetes in need of medical attention, two pregnant women of 8 months and one of 6 months, and 12 children.

According to the SYRIZA statement, “among other things, the complaint states that there are a total of three dead, one after a beating and two from drowning, as a result of the repatriation. For now, they remain on the islet with geographic mark (41°16’21.2″N 26°25’41.5″E) and according to what the newspaper reports, appealed yesterday to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) through the organizations “Hellenic Council for Refugees” and “HumanRights360″, asking for an urgent order to the Greek government to carry out a rescue operation, to ensure basic survival conditions and to register their request for asylum.However, they note that although they have informed the Greek authorities ‘so far we have not received a response and no consideration has taken place by the Greek authorities, nor has access to international protection been provided'”.

Generalizing, SYRIZA states: “Just a few days after condemning the country for the result of the violent refoulement in Farmakonisi in 2014, another comes to be added to the long list of complaints.

In fact, instead of apologizing for the attitude of the Government, then and now, the responsible Minister, despite the constant calls for the creation of an independent body, chose to set up within the structure of the Ministry, a government-controlled Special Committee that will check complaints about violations of international law during the border procedure and the examination of asylum applications”.