Greek government fears new wave of migration following earthquakes
Greek authorities are preparing to boost border protection measures, fearing rising migrant flows following a devastating earthquake on February 6 in Turkey and Syria.
Greek authorities are preparing to boost border protection measures, fearing rising migrant flows following a devastating earthquake on February 6 in Turkey and Syria.
Mohamed and Israa, both from Sudan, met in an unlikely place for a romance: the house of their smuggler in Turkey. They got married and crossed the Aegean Sea to the island of Lesbos. While waiting for legal status, they dream of a honeymoon in the Cyclades.
After the long crisis following the 2015 migration emergency, life for citizens on the Greek island of Lesbos is "back to normal" and the major issues related to refugees is past, according to Greece's Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi.
In Greece, an Afghan asylum seeker who tried to kill herself by setting herself on fire two years ago has received a 15-month sentence, suspended for three years.
Seven more people have been found alive on the Greek island of Lesbos after a shipwreck on Tuesday in which three migrants drowned. The number of survivors now stands at 39.
The Greek island of Lesbos is no longer overcrowded with migrants. Faced with stricter border controls, fewer people are arriving. For those who still make it to the island, the objective is to get to Mavrovouni camp while avoiding the authorities. Charlotte Oberti reports for InfoMigrants.
The trial of Mohammad Hanad, a Somali migrant sentenced to 142 years in prison in 2021 for "facilitating illegal entry" into Greece, took place on Monday on the island of Lesbos. The following day 24 volunteers and aid workers, also accused of people smuggling, appeared before the same court. Charlotte Oberti reports for InfoMigrants.
A Greek court has ordered the release of a Somali migrant who had been sentenced to life in prison for human smuggling. The case has highlighted harsh sentencing guidelines in Greece introduced in recent years as part of an effort to fight irregular migration.
The Turkish coast guard says it has rescued 81 migrants who had tried to reach Greece via the Aegean Sea in rubber dinghies. They accused Greek officials of pushing the migrants back into Turkish waters illegally.
A two-month-old baby was recovered dead from the wreckage of a migrant boat off Lesbos on Friday. The child's mother is believed to have reached the island and is now missing.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has denounced the conditions at closed hosting centers for asylum seekers on the Greek islands, in particular Samos. They believe there is not enough medical staff, and that the "prison-like" camps can "exacerbate psychological trauma" suffered by refugees and migrants.
Greece has announced that new hotspots for asylum seekers on the islands of Lesbos and Chios are set to open in February and April of next year. Greek authorities are also expanding a hotspot near the Evros river on Greece's land border with Turkey.