Greece has been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights for two cases of maltreatment of immigrants, and ordered to pay 8,000 euros damage to an illegal immigrant from Georgia, Zane Bgilasvili.
In that case, the court found Greece had violated Article 3 (prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment) of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Court ruled that the treatment of Bgilasvili, while she was awaiting to be deported was inhuman. Bgliasvili was staying in a bug-ridden cell without drinking water and without enough room for everyone.
The second case involved an Afgham asylum seeker named Ahmade who was unlawfully detained. The Court decided that Greece has violated four articles of the Convention dealing with prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment, failure to provide an effective remedy, dealing with the risk of the applicant’s removal and procedural guarantees of review. Once again the Court said Greece was not providing proper services to asylum seekers. Ahmade was almost deported before his case was heard.
During the last decade Greece, along with other Southern European countries has become an entry point for illegal immigrants and asylum seekers. Social Democratic and Conservative governments have done almost nothing to help immigrants or ameliorate the conditions for them and critics said instead have used the immigrants as scapegoats.
Ahead of the June 17 elections narrowly won by the New Democracy Conservatives, party leader Antonis Samaras said he wanted immigrants out of the country and under his administration an ongoing sweep has led to the detention of scores of thousands of them looking for those without residency papers.
(Source: European Court of Human Rights, tvxs.gr)
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