UN. Experts condemn Greece for practices that dehumanize migrants

OThe signatories of the report also considered that the principle of non-forced repatriation is being violated, as well as the right to life of people who arrive in the country through illegal means.

Experts recently requested detailed information from the Greek Government on the case of 12 asylum seekers from Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia who, after arriving in the country on 10 April, were allegedly detained by hooded men, stripped of their belongings and taken to force to the port of Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesbos.

“The violence, which was captured on video — verified and reported by media outlets — exposed racist exclusion and the cruelty of border protection practices,” they wrote.

For this and other complaints, UN experts condemned the lack of accountability and called on the Greek authorities to ensure transparent and impartial investigations into these and similar matters.

They also denounced the “deliberate and coordinated” practice of forced repatriation of migrants and recalled that UN human rights institutions have asked States not to carry out collective expulsions.

Among the signatories of this declaration are the rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Felipe González, on extrajudicial and summary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz, and members of the working group on people of African descent.

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