(AFP) Oxafm on Thursday urged the European Commission to sanction Greece for what it termed violations of migrants’ rights after the government voted to suspend asylum procedures for one month owing to the coronavirus.
“Rather than protecting vulnerable people from the spread of the coronavirus, the Greek government is using the crisis to absolve itself from its obligations under international and EU law. The new law means that people who flee war and persecution have no chance of finding safety and protection when they arrive in Greece,” said Oxfam’s EU migration policy advisor, Raphael Shilhav.
“Families with children are already held in detention in absolutely inadequate conditions, waiting to be sent back to situations where they face threats to their lives and freedom,” added Shilhav, condemning what he called “a clear-cut violation of EU law and the UN convention on refugees.”
