Oxfam: Fair processing of asylum claims in Greece has become impossible

Greece has changed its asylum laws, which Oxfam says are contrary to European humanitarian standards. According to the organization, the possibility of fair processing of asylum seekers' cases in Greece has been eliminated.

Oxfam, in collaboration with the Greek Refugee Council, has published a report on the implications of Greece's new asylum law. According to the organization, the changes to Greece's asylum law effectively violate Europe's binding humanitarian standards.

On Thursday, June 2, the "Spiegel Online" website published parts of an Oxfam report on the situation of refugees in Greece.

Oxfam, one of the world's largest aid organizations fighting poverty and hunger, traveled to Greece and its islands to assess the impact of the changes on the lives of asylum seekers following the announcement of a revision to Greece's asylum law.

Oxfam representatives have worked with the Greek Refugee Council in their investigation of the situation of asylum seekers and have spoken to lawyers, experts, asylum seekers and human rights organizations about the living conditions of refugees.

The report, published on Thursday by Oxfam's Brussels office, is the result of this research.

The plight of refugees

The report states that accelerating the processing of asylum applications effectively eliminates the possibility of a fair examination of applicants' cases. Therefore, the organization considers the proposed changes to the Greek asylum law to be contrary to European standards.

Over the past few months, Greece's conservative government has not only accelerated the processing of asylum seekers' cases, but also deployed hundreds of new border police to prevent the entry of asylum seekers.

In addition, Greece has expanded its border fence with Turkey. In March, the Greek government even suspended processing of asylum applications for a month.

The situation for refugees on the islands in the eastern Aegean is considered to be extremely dire. Some of the refugee camps, which have a capacity of 8,000 people, were hosting 35,000 refugees at the end of June. The Greek government has transferred many asylum seekers living on the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos to Greek territory.

Mistreatment of asylum seekers

The Oxfam report also mentions the phenomenon of mistreatment of asylum seekers. The report states that a number of asylum seekers, including children and pregnant women, have been detained by refugee camp officials without giving any reason.

Additionally, during the COVID-19 crisis, a number of refugees have reported experiencing sexual harassment in refugee camps. Domestic violence and rape are also among the issues refugees have raised in their conversations with Oxfam representatives.