Greece’s Asylum Service Pitched Into Chaos Over Unpaid Interpreters
Greece’s asylum system is facing a crisis after a walk-out by interpreters in Athens over unpaid wages.
METAdrasi, the Greek NGO that has provided the interpreters for the past seven years, says E.U. funds have not been disbursed by the Greek government for more than six months.
A nonprofit group, METAdrasi said the move was an “interruption” in service, not a strike, and that it had been a collective decision by all members of staff.
Greece’s asylum system was already under acute pressure, with 57,000 applications in 2017, up from 51,000 the year before. With multiple languages and nationalities to serve, the asylum system is reliant on trained interpreters.
“We deeply regret having to take this difficult decision and interrupt the provision of interpretation services in the Asylum Service in Athens,” METAdrasi’s president, Lora Pappas, told Refugees Deeply. “We are aware of the delays that will be caused to the asylum claims of people entitled to international protection.”
The nonprofit organization said the Greek government had failed to reply to repeated requests related to the delay of funds. Greece’s migration ministry and asylum service were unavailable for comment.
“It is a sad fact that, for the first time, European funds provided for interpretation are delayed for such a long period of time – more than six months,” said Pappas.
During 2017, Greece assumed greater control of E.U. funds meant to support its asylum, reception and support services for asylum seekers, in many instances replacing the international aid agencies that set up in the country during record flows of people in 2015. But the handover has been dogged by complaints of delays and mismanagement.
METAdrasi said it would continue to provide interpretation services to the regional asylum service offices in the border areas despite financial difficulties.
Germany Condemns Unacceptable Actions by Turkey in Syria
German’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, has condemned Turkey’s “unacceptable” military offensive in the Syrian town of Afrin.
The comments come amid reports of massacres in Afrin and pushbacks of Syrian refugees at Turkey’s borders.
Turkey stormed Afrin on March 18 as part of its offensive against the Syrian-Kurdish YPG militia. UNICEF estimates that about 100,000 people are in or around Afrin, half of whom are children.
Germany depends on Turkey to control the flow of asylum seekers into the E.U. and has led negotiations over a new $3.4 billion fund to support the estimated 3.5 million Syrians hosted in Turkey.
Speaking on Afrin, a German foreign ministry spokesman said, “We have, clearly, and I can’t deny it, especially in light of the most recent developments, significant doubts about the necessity and proportionality of the Turkish actions.”
U.N. Report Underlines Impunity of Armed Groups in Libya
Migrants are openly bought and sold by armed groups in Libya, according to the U.N. human rights office.
“Extrajudicial and unlawful killings are rampant,” Andrew Gilmour, U.N. assistant secretary-general for human rights, told the Geneva-based Human Rights Council.
The forum heard that Libya has descended into conflict between a wide array of armed groups, with migrants stuck in detention centers and subject to horrifying abuse.
Gilmour said armed groups, including those led by Libyans who have been invited to talks by European leaders, are the “main perpetrators of grave human rights violations and act with almost complete impunity.”
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