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A group of refugees stranded on the Greek-Macedonian border have started a hunger strike to protest against the filtering system put in place a few days ago by some Balkan countries, rejecting those classified as “economic migrants”.
The hunger strikers at the Idomeni border post are among thousands of asylum seekers now stuck at the borders.
Images were posted on social media showing several refugees, including Iranians and Kurds, sewing their lips shut with nylon and a needle.
During a sit-in involving other asylum seekers, they protested measures adopted on November 17 by four Balkan governments led by Slovenia, which blocked refugees who could not prove their Syrian citizenship , Afghan or Iraqi.
The rejection of Slovenia, Macedonia, Croatia and Serbia has triggered an accumulation of refugees at the Balkan borders, some of them from priority countries but without papers.
Of the ~3600 #people has #Idomeni Today, around 1,500 people cannot cross the border because of their nationality, including these children. pic.twitter.com/u27l34NBkk
– MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) November 22, 2015
“Right now, the worst situation is at the Idomeni border crossing in Greece, where at least 2,000 Iranians, Moroccans and other nationals are stuck after the border was closed to everyone except Syrian refugees , Afghans and Iraqis,” said Zagreb-based Milena Zajovic. the spokesperson for the group Are You Syrious, which aims to keep refugees informed, told Al Jazeera.
“Volunteers have witnessed some very shocking situations in recent days. A desperate Pakistani man tried to hang himself in front of everyone on Saturday, while today (Monday) a group of Iranians started sewing their mouths shut in protest.
“The Idomeni camp is already full of people who are not allowed to cross the border. Many of them cannot return to their country of origin because they would be criminally prosecuted. The situation is very tense. »
On the Greek-Macedonian border, Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis are once again allowed to cross in small groups. #Idomeni pic.twitter.com/RCzT9rFREE
–Marcel van der Steen (@marcelvdsteen) November 20, 2015
Zajovic added that the measures taken by Balkan countries deprive people of their right to seek asylum.
“Yesou cannot simply declare all potential asylum seekers in a country as “economic migrants” and send them back without knowing what they are fleeing. EEvery asylum seeker should have the right to have their case heard. Right now the EU is taking all that away from them.”
Macedonian President Gjorgje Ivanov said Saturday that the influx of “migrants” into the country had increased tensions “between refugees and migrants, between migrants and the police and army, and between migrants and the local population “.
He said Macedonia has the capacity to accommodate around 2,000 people in its temporary transit centers and that any increase in this number “would increase permanent and direct threats and risks to national security”.
The decision to screen refugees came amid fears sparked by the recent attacks in Paris that among the hundreds of thousands of refugees trying to escape war and persecution there could be people planning attacks in Europe.
Rights groups have warned of confusing refugees with armed group attackers and insisted that asylum should not be granted based on nationality, but on merit.
According to activists on the Iranian ground #refugees lay down on the railway tracks and demand to be allowed to cross #RefugeesGR #idomeni
– Marianna Karakoulaki (@Faloulah) November 19, 2015
There are also growing concerns about the health of asylum seekers who are now stranded due to the cold.
Jill Goldenziel, professor of human rights and refugees at Harvard University in the United States, told Al Jazeera: “Screening refugees is what you are supposed to do; the Refugee Convention guarantees the individual rights of refugees (but) it is not acceptable to filter by country… They do not process individual applications.
“The health of refugees is at risk if they are stranded and do not receive enough medical assistance. They are now threatened by the cold. And mental health issues are compounded by the mistreatment they face in Balkan countries – these are people who have suffered trauma, either from what they witnessed at home or during their journey. Some have seen people die or lose family members.
She added that if Balkan countries were unable to cope with the number of refugees, the EU and the international community “must find a way or a system to help process” individual requests.
An unprecedented number of refugees traveled to Europe in 2015. By mid-November, according to Human Rights Watch, more than 800,000 had reached Italy and Greece, and smaller numbers had arrived in Spain and Malta.
#Greece: Red Cross mobile first aid teams continue to help #migrants stuck in #Idomeni https://t.co/eVylGY0A0H pic.twitter.com/1vR0hf1yVr
– IFRC (@ifrc) November 23, 2015
According to the UNHCR, 84 percent come from Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia and Iraq.
Lydia Gall, researcher at Human Rights Watch on Eastern Europe and Western Balkans, said: “This direct discrimination against certain nationalities – preventing them from exercising their right to seek asylum – puts people at risk of becoming even more stuck at various borders in Europe, exposed to harsh conditions as the weather is getting colder.
“Instead of collective discrimination at borders, EU member states Slovenia and Croatia and candidate countries Serbia and Macedonia should coordinate to ensure that everyone can submit their asylum application and that people are not stuck at borders due to worsening weather conditions. »
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