The UN Called on Greece to Implement Secure and Neutral Border Protection Policies
The United Nations (UN) has called on Greece to implement secure and neutral border protection policies. UN special rapporteurs issued a written statement regarding Greece's border protection policies.
In the statement, it was noted, 'We call on Greece to adopt secure and neutral border protection policies and practices. We condemn the lack of accountability for violations involving Greek law enforcement forces.'
The statement expressed concerns about Greece's inability to provide rapid and effective assistance to endangered migrants, their inability to safely disembark them, and their inability to facilitate the admission of sufficient migrants. It reminded that on April 11th, 12 asylum seekers from Somalia, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, including a 6-month-old baby, were gathered by masked individuals upon their arrival to Greece. Their belongings were taken from them, and these individuals were forcibly taken to the island of Lesbos.
The statement mentioned that UN experts requested detailed information from the Greek government regarding this incident on August 7th. It further emphasized, 'We have deep concerns about the events in April, human rights violations, and allegations of abuse. We call on Greece to provide information about measures taken to prevent the use of force and similar incidents. The documented and verified violence captured on recordings, confirmed by the media, exposed the racist exclusion and brutality of Europe's border protection practices.'
The statement highlighted that countries have obligations under international human rights and refugee law to address the dangers and risks faced by migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. It pointed out that the absence of regular migration pathways, restrictive migration policies, xenophobic rhetoric, and other factors exacerbate this situation.
The statement also called on Greece to conduct transparent and impartial investigations into the violation of the principle of non-refoulement and non-discrimination against law enforcement and allegations of the violation of the right to life and violence at the border.
UN special rapporteurs are recognized as part of the process known as the mechanisms of the Human Rights Council. They are independent information-gathering and monitoring mechanisms that address the situation of a particular country or thematic issues anywhere in the world within the UN Human Rights system.
Experts from non-mechanisms that are not within the UN's structure carry out their work on a voluntary basis and independently.
Link: https://www.sondakika.com/dunya/haber-bm-yunanistan-a-guvenli-ve-tarafsiz-sinir-koruma-p-16257373/