No Extradition to Greece
Published by deviousdiva March 12th, 2008 in Asylum.From the EU Observer
A Swedish court has decided not to extradite an Iraqi man to Greece on the grounds that he might not recieve proper treatment here. This is the third country in recent weeks, that has gone against the Dublin agreement under which asylum seekers can be returned to the European country where they first applied for refugee status. Norway suspended all extraditions of asylum seekers to Greece and Germany looks set to do the same.
the man, who is handicapped, appealed the decision to the migration court, arguing that conditions for asylum seekers in Greece are particularly difficult for handicapped people.
The court subsequently ruled in favour of the applicant, annulling the deportation and saying that it was up to Sweden to assume responsibility for his case
Finally, it seems that the unacceptable asylum situation here in Greece is making it into the spotlight. It is something that NGO’s, migrant groups and various individuals have been shouting about for a very long time. I sincerely believe that most Greeks would be appalled if they knew how the state is treating people who are seeking asylum here. The vast majority of applicants are from the war-torn countries of Afghanistan and Iraq but less than 1% of applications are accepted (compared to the European average of around 25%). It is very sad that this situation is making Greece and its people look bad in the eyes of the rest of Europe because of the neglect and indifference of its government. The only positive thing would be if this very public shaming prompts some action from the authorities.
Human rights NGO Amnesty International has also criticised the “poor conditions in which immigration detainees are held in Greece, and the lack of legal guarantees with regard to examination of their asylum claim,” and has called on the country to put in place more effective asylum procedures
Technorati: asylum, greece, extradition, sweden, iraq
While the European average of accepting asylum seeker applicant is close to 25%, I think that 90% of the European countries are not that close geographically to where the asylum seekers come from. Also, I would be interested to see how 25% and 1% of total number of applicants translate to the actual number of individuals. Then I would like to see percentage of the GDP per asylum seeker for each of those countries and Greece.
That said, I do not think what has been happening to those people is right. I do not think we can ever truly understand what they went through where they came from. Try telling people abroad that Greece has been swimming in garbage and has been without electricity several hours a day for about 10 days now and see if THEY believe you.
I guess, since we have worked out electricity, social security and garbage it is only to be expected we would be doing a great job with asylum seekers too. Next on the line: education, corruption, military spending, health, youth drowned in a glass of frappé coffee.
I too am thinking of seeking asylum in one of those European countries. If they take me I will one of the lucky 25% to be accepted. My story will include persecution by the system and crazy drivers, stories of parked cars in footpaths, lack of footpaths and dead dogs in parks. Being treated like a criminal by the police for walking between suburbs. It may also include stories about various declining industries and accounts of how everyone is convinced that the current state of affairs somehow has something to do with ancient Greece.
What do you think? Do I have a chance? You think maybe they will take me in on a science specimen visa?
The UK was in a similar mess in the 1970s, jinger. Strikes, power cuts, rubbish in the streets, general chaos….They didn’t blame it on Ancient Greece, though.
On asylum issues, most asylum seekers in the last decades have gone to Sweden, Germany, the Uk and Netherlands. It is only in the last year that this emerged as a problem in Greece, in terms of numbers.
DD wrote: “It is very sad that this situation is making Greece and its people look bad in the eyes of the rest of Europe because of the neglect and indifference of its government.”
Thank you, DD, for always trying to put it in polite terms for “Greece and its people”, but the sad truth is that the government is elected by the people, and the government tends to do what the people want it to do, so that’s no excuse.
A tangible example: in order for the parking chaos to be fixed, the government would have to take measures which would be tantamount to a “war against the automobile”. But if the government attempted anything like that, the majority of the population, who are automobile owners, would immediately rebel. So, it is essentially the people who want the parking chaos to continue. The same thing applies to everything: better treatment of applicants for refugee status would require more money, more money translates to more taxes, but the prevailing attitude of the indigenous population here is to rather have every single asylum seeker rot and die than to have to pay more taxes.
jinger’s points are all very interesting, I’d also like to know the answers to his/her questions.