BELGRADE (Sputnik), Victoria Mladenovich – Europe is suffering from a massive migration crisis, trying to find a way to tackle the flow of undocumented migrants from the Middle East and North Africa. Greece is on the frontline of the refugee crisis, as thousands of people arrive in the Balkan state crossing the Mediterranean in order to seek asylum in the European Union.
"I am… concerned with the growing aggression of the police against refugees, particularly against minors. Far too many of the Advocates [Abroad] attorneys on both the mainland and islands have witnessed, and complained of, police abuse and unlawful arrests of minors," Ariel Ricker said.
On December 8, the European Union recommended that member states return to the practice of sending asylum seekers back to Greece, starting with March, explaining the decision by the improving conditions there compared to the past. The European Union's Dublin regulations, stipulating that asylum-seekers must make an asylum application in the first EU country they enter, were suspended for Athens in 2011 due to the poor conditions and infrastructure to process asylum seekers in Greece.
According to the human rights lawyer, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office in Greece has been building up capacity to house refugees for several months, which is where the returned refugees would likely be housed. Other possibilities for the accommodation of returned refugees would be state run centers or "self run or volunteer organized housing," Ricker explained.
"The issue of adequacy of such facilities is always a concern. Greece is struggling to care for the current number of refugees in the state. This number continues to grow with new arrivals that can be as many as 200 in a single day. Relocation to Member States has thus far been poorly actualized. Accordingly, I am concerned for this influx of refugees from both the sea and German state, come March," Ricker explained.
The European Union's December assessment that Greece was ready to accept returned migrants was met with criticism from Athens, with Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas saying that the current legal framework was not able to respond to the historic migration flows and that it leaves the burden to the European states in which migrants first arrived.
"This situation is heartbreaking and wrongful. […] I remain appreciative of the extraordinary help offered quietly and constantly by the Greek people. I only wish the Greek government would match the decency of its people," Ricker said.
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