Greece’s Crete sees surge in boat arrivals despite harsher detention policy

Greece has suspended processing of asylum applications from radical arriving by oversea from North Africa since July.

More than 120 refugees and migrants person been intercepted disconnected the land of Crete, according to Greek authorities, the latest successful a bid of arrivals of radical making perilous journeys to Europe from North Africa contempt a suspension of asylum claims and a concerted propulsion for tougher detention rules.

Two boats, carrying 58 and 68 radical and believed to person departed from Libya, were stopped connected Monday, and their passengers were placed nether defender astatine impermanent shelters. More than 100 different refugees and migrants arrived connected Crete implicit the play aft beardown winds eased.

Greece’s blimpish authorities past period suspended each asylum claims for migrants arriving by oversea from North Africa, a determination it argued helped deter crossings that peaked successful July astatine much than 2,500 successful a azygous week.

The prohibition passed successful parliament amid a surge successful asylum seekers reaching Crete and aft talks with Libya’s Benghazi-based authorities to stem the travel were cancelled acrimoniously successful July.

It besides marked a further hardening of Greece’s stance towards refugees and migrants nether Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s government, which has built a obstruction astatine its bluish onshore borders and boosted oversea patrols since it came to powerfulness successful 2019.

The authorities remains astatine likelihood with determination authorities successful Crete implicit a program to physique a imperishable transit installation connected the island. It is preparing draught authorities that would mandate imprisonment for radical whose asylum claims are denied and necessitate ankle monitors during a 30-day compliance play earlier deportation.

Earlier this month, astatine slightest 26 radical died aft 2 boats sank disconnected the confederate Italian land of Lampedusa.

That disaster, besides involving radical travelling from Libya, was the latest to befall refugees and migrants making the perilous Mediterranean crossing from Africa to Europe.

Rights groups and United Nations agencies person besides documented systematic maltreatment against refugees and migrants successful Libya, including torture, rape and extortion. In February, Libyan authorities uncovered astir 50 bodies from 2 wide graves successful the country’s southeastern desert, successful the latest fearfulness involving radical seeking to marque it to Europe done the North African country.

Since the opening of this year, 675 radical person died successful the cardinal Mediterranean portion trying to marque the crossing, Filippo Ungaro, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees successful Italy, precocious said.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies