The government will establish ‘special detention centers’ for all those arriving from North Africa.

On Friday, the Greek Parliament approved a legal amendment that bars migrants arriving irregularly from North Africa from applying for asylum, and provides for their detention and return to their country of origin or transit.

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The amendment passed with the votes of the ruling New Democracy party, led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which holds an absolute majority in Parliament. The measure, which will be in effect for an initial period of three months, comes amid a surge in arrivals of migrants and refugees to the island of Crete, where 2,000 people landed just in the past week.

“We are responding to urgent circumstances with urgent measures,” said Migration Minister Thanos Plevris, who defended the amendment, stressing that unless Greece sends the message that “the route to Greece is closed,” the country will not be able to manage the tens of thousands of people who could arrive in Crete from Libya, where “three million people are waiting on the coast.”

Opposition parties denounced the measure as “unconstitutional” and accused the government of violating the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Geneva Convention, which guarantee the right of every person to seek asylum. The left-wing Syriza party argued that returning migrants without registering them constitutes a “de facto pushback” and a violation of international law.

On Thursday, Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, warned that the amendment would effectively legalize breaches of the European Convention on Human Rights concerning the return of individuals at risk of torture or other serious violations.

“Returning people to places where they would face threats to their life or freedom would violate the principle of non-refoulement,” said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

In response to criticism, the conservative Greek government insisted that it is not violating any of its obligations under international law. It said the measure is “temporary” and intended to send a message “to the traffickers who profit from human suffering” that the route to Greece is closed.

The European Commission appeared to support the government’s move. A spokesperson said the situation in Greece is exceptional due to the increase in irregular arrivals. “Any measure taken by Greece must take into account the worrying situation in Libya and the potential impact on security and migration in the EU,” the spokesperson said.

The Greek government also plans to establish “special detention centers” for all those arriving in Greece from North Africa. So far this year, about 9,000 irregular migrants have arrived by sea from North Africa to Crete, compared to 4,000 who landed on the island throughout all of 2024.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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