From the Catalan Mental Health Congress Foundation, we denounce the violation of rights that, once again, they are suffering, in this case, the refugees from the Mediterranean region (Greece/Turkey), and we adhere to the statement from the Lafede.cat – Organizations for Global Justice.
NO TO VIOLENCE AND VIOLATION OF RIGHTS
Yes WITH RESPECT TO INTERNATIONAL LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS
ANNOUNCEMENT
Greece has decided to suspend the Geneva Convention on the status of refugees and will not accept any asylum applications for at least one month, in response to the arrival of people likely to be asylum seekers after Turkey opened its borders and threatens to return everyone who enters.
For their part, Turkey has decided to do so following the deaths of 33 Turkish soldiers in combat in the Syrian war on Thursday, February 28. Turkey wants to pressure the European Union and thus obtain its support within the framework of the conflict, and it is doing so with less than 20 days remaining to mark four years since the EU-Turkey agreement, by which it committed to halting the arrival of people seeking refuge in exchange for 6 billion euros. Thus, the armed conflict in Syria and the different positions of the countries turn human beings into a bargaining chip.
Thousands of people are now at the land border between Turkey and Greece, especially in Kastanies in the northeast of the country, and others are trying to cross the Mediterranean to the Greek islands. Meanwhile, the Greek far-right is taking advantage of the explosive situation and the abandonment of refugee camps, such as Moria – which houses 20,000 people despite having a capacity of 3,500 – to attack refugees and the NGOs working on the ground.
Lafede.cat considers the suspension of the Geneva Convention by the Greek Government to be very serious.,
- why Measures like this leave populations affected by conflict or persecution of any kind in absolute vulnerability., and expose them to be used as bargaining chips in the political, social, or economic interests of various countries.
- why sets an unacceptable precedent in the framework of international human rights law. The Greek State, like all European states, is a signatory and as such must ensure its compliance. The Convention guarantees that everyone has the right to asylum without discrimination on grounds of sex, origin, or religion, and that no one can be expelled to a country where their life is in danger.
- why Greece is a signatory to other international treaties like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which guarantees the right to asylum (art. 14), or the European Convention on Human Rights which obliges respect for human rights (art. 1), the right to life and to an effective remedy (art. 13), and prohibits degrading treatment (art. 3) and collective expulsions of foreigners (Protocol 4), also prohibited by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU (art. 19).
Likewise, Lafede.cat condemns the attacks, on the one hand, on people in transit at the Turkish-Greek border by police forces and, on the other hand, on people trapped in Greek refugee camps by far-right groups.
That's why Lafede.cat demands from all administrations and especially the Spanish government,
- condemning the suspension of the application of the Geneva Convention on the status of refugees.
- Condemn the attacks and violence toward people on the move. Among those displaced are children and adolescents, who are also protected by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the corresponding best interests of the child.
- Condemn the attacks on people trapped in refugee camps in Greece and guarantee the work of NGOs and journalists on the ground.
- Make every possible effort to end the war and violence in Syria.
- They should work for a new common reception and asylum policy based on human rights. The outsourcing of borders should end. Agreements with so-called “third countries” that do not respect human rights, such as Turkey, Libya, or Morocco, to curb migration should not be renewed.
- That the European relocation system be reactivated as a consequence, in order to guarantee the right to asylum and respect for human rights based on the principle of solidarity between countries.
- That expulsions at the southern Spanish border be stopped, and that this practice be condemned on other European borders based on the principle of non-refoulement, as enshrined in various European and international treaties and in customary international law.
LBorder protection cannot be above human rights, which is why Lafede.cat calls on citizens to continue demonstrating their commitment to human rights and their support for people trapped at the borders and in refugee camps, and, on the other hand, to respond to mobilizations rejecting the Greek Government's decision, such as the one being called. Stop Mare Mortum this Tuesday, March 3rd in front of the European Commission's headquarters in Barcelona.