Greece should not pretend that only Ukrainians are the “real refugees” while illegally pushing back refugees from Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) Kenneth Roth said.
Criticizing Athens’ interior minister, Roth tweeted that “All deserve protection without falsely claiming it’s ‘safe’ for them elsewhere.”
Greece, which has adopted a tough line on migrants, last week urged help for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion.
The conservative Greek government, in power since 2019, has strengthened patrols on the border with Turkey designed to crack down on migrants crossing into Greece.
Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi last week was criticized in parliament for calling fleeing Ukrainians “real refugees.” “They are war refugees, these are real refugees,” Mitarachi had told Skai TV on Saturday.
In response, former leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said it was “shameful (to hear that) refugees from Ukraine are real, but dark-skinned ones are not.”
Several media and pressure groups repeatedly criticize the government’s “anti-migration” policy, accusing Athens of “illegal pushbacks” of migrants on the Turkish border that Greece denies.
Last week, HRW made a written statement saying that “Greece should know that refugees can come from anywhere.”
“Greece uses the need to fight against ‘trafficking’ and the semblance of safety in Turkey as excuses to justify its heavy-handed and often abusive immigration control methods, including violent and unlawful pushbacks at its external borders with Turkey,” the HRW said. -Agencies
