Archive for the 'Detention' Category

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Hunger strike in Samos detention centre

Published on April 14, 2010 in Deportation, Detention, Featured, Frontex, Photos and Samos. Closed Tags: detention centre, Frontex, hunger strike, Samos, we will win.

On April 12, 2010, 126 migrants detained in the samos detention camp started a collective hunger strike. Their demands are

Freedom, immediate release with the “white paper” (allowing them to travel within Greece for thirty days)
An end to the transfers to detention centres close to the greek-turkish land border in the north, where numerous illegal deportation to Turkey are taking place. Such transfers happen between two and three times a month in Samos, the last one happened on April 9, when 40 migrants were taken.
Transparency about the work of so-called translators in the camp. As it turns out, these often are officiers employed by Frontex, who offer their translation services, but abuse the trust of the refugees and use the access to the refugees to determine their identity and prepare their deportation. There is a particular problem with the Frontex officers who in the process of identification often change the country of origin of the migrants on paper.

In the last days, as many as 14 Frontex officers were in the detention centre. There is also talk about migrants being beaten up, some cell phones were taken, while the phones in the camp also don’t work, making it hard to communicate with the hunger strikers. No laywers seem to be present at the time.

Next stop Xios

Published on November 13, 2009 in Detention. Closed Tags: Detention.

Our faithfull source in Greece just told us a story about going with the ferry trip from Mytilini ( over Xios ) to Athens.

Last night I travelled by ship from Mytilene to Athens. That gave me the opportunity to observe a transfer from Pagani to Xios. On board there were around 50 people that the police was bringing from Pagani to the prison in Xios. The police gathered them outside on deck, guarded by about four or five police men. As I tried to approach them the police told me that I am not allowed to do so. After a short discussion I could at least talk to one man from Somalia. He told me that the police didn´t take their fingerprints until now and that he doesn´t know where the police will bring them. I told them that I think that they will bring them to the prison in Xios.
When we arrived in Xios the police brought the people down to the exit. They tried to hold them all together but they were not separated from the other people. One police man was quite nervous as if he was fearing something would happen. Next to the ship there was a turistic bus waiting for the people.
When I returned inside the ship in order to go to Athens, I met a group of people that I already met in Pagani. Most of them were Afghan families with little children. Two of them told me that the police wrote a higher age on their paper than they are , if they are obviously under-age. Like that, they lost the special protection their are supposed to retrieve as under-age refuges.
First time I these people was on Sunday. Probably they have been taken to Xios on Monday. Now the police gave them the deportation decision and let them free. That means that they stayed about two nights in Pagani and another two nights in Xios. In between they have been transferred from one island to another. In a very short time the families were bothered a lot. First by keeping them in Pagani which is in an even worse status after the revolts. Then by bringing them to another prison. For sure it is more expensive to transfer them with police and pay them first one ticket to Xios and then another one to Athens. For sure I could imagine a lot of things better to invest that money

“We really didn’t feel like refugees!”

Published on November 10, 2009 in Detention, Featured and Insight. Closed Tags: azadi, obstruction of injustice, pagani, Revolt.

Athens, 25th of October 2009 | Reflections on Lesvos two months after Noborder:

Hello, my name is Milad. I am 17 years old. I was for 23 days imprisoned in Pagani in Mitilini and first I want to define how was the situation inside this prison and how was the behaviour of police and doctors with us.

Some guys were sick for weeks, they were calling for a doctor, but nobody was ready to listen to our voices. There was no treatment for sick persons and the drinking water had a bad smell. If we asked for a doctor, for clean water or anything, mostly nobody was even listening.

They also did not have a good behaviour to the families with the small kids. One day I saw the kids had their ten minutes time to go out. They were playing football and one policeman was beating a small kid, he was about 8 years old, his mother was crying.
Continue reading ‘“We really didn’t feel like refugees!”’

Out of the frying pan into the fire

Published on November 7, 2009 in Detention, Lesvos and Photos. Closed Tags: no detention centre, pagani, Xios.

News from the “Open Centre” in Pagani:

Today 60 people were n Pagani, all together in one cell. The cells are still open but the atmosphere does not seem very open. The people were transported today at 6:00 pm to the detention centre in Xios, of course accompanied by the police. The refugees have now arrived in Xios. Obviously the end of pagani is only the begnnng. As it seems now the plans are pointing in the direction of a new detention centre will be opening n Lesvos in the one or two years. Until then, Pagani will be used as a open transit centre.

There is only one thing left to say:

No Detention Centre! Not n Pagani, not in Xios and nowhere!!!

Pagani to be converted to a open centre?

Published on November 3, 2009 in Detention. Closed Tags: Detention, pagani.

Local newspapers in Mytilini about the situation with pagani:

Yesterday a delegation went to pagani to estimate the demages in the prison complex. it says they will open Pagani again in two month. The question is if it will be a detention or a open centre.

Our demands.

Pagani has to stay closed, no more centre in Pagani!!
open centre in Mytilini!
papers for everyone

Pagani: ghost town of "tomorrow"?!

Published on October 30, 2009 in Detention, Featured, Lesvos and Revolt. Closed Tags: azadi, freedom, obstruction of injustice, pagani, Revolt, we are everywhere, yeahyeahyeah.

The prefecture announces the release of the last 130 refugees from the detention centre of Pagani for tomorrow. The newspapers report that it might be renovated from Monday on but leave also the option that it might be closed down forever. Temporarily new arriving refugees will be temporarily hosted in the hotel Zaire until their transfer to the detention centre of Chios island. The revolts of the detained refugees and their constant pressure together with the constant support from antiracist groups resulted in a small success. The short term aim is to keep this detention centre closed, while the real success roots in a future without detention centres!

Always waiting for the next day

Published on October 29, 2009 in Detention and Photos. Closed Tags: azadi, fates, freedom, pagani, Photos.

Another day is passing by. In Pagani, the same proscedure as avery day. People inside are waitng, waiting for their release and to continue their lifes.

Hand behind bars

While cloth donation were distributed, everybody became very excited. People started scrapping for a shoe, a short or a trouser. Local television journalists cover the chaotic philanthropy. A young man behind the bars seems disappointed:

Continue reading ‘Always waiting for the next day’

Demands remain: Close down Pagani

Published on October 29, 2009 in Detention, Lesvos and Photos. Closed Tags: azadi, pagani.

Antira Activists are reporting about a changed atmosphere in the Detention Centre of Pagani. The demands remain the same:

Close down Pagani and every other detention Centre
Open Reception centres
Papers for everyone

Today local Newspapers reported that the police refuses to continue working in Pagani. Here comes the Daily report from the NoBorder activists on Lesvos.

Continue reading ‘Demands remain: Close down Pagani’

A little strand of self-organised freedom

Published on October 27, 2009 in Detention, Photos and Videos. Closed Tags: action, obstruction of injustice, pagani, repression.

Today a number of events around Pagani where reported by our NoBorder activists in Lesvos.

Some good news arrived today. During the night, the prisoners opened the locks of the cells. Until now the police did not close them up again. At present there are at least able to move around the detention centre an the prison yard. It was the first time that we saw little children in the prison yard.

pagani at noon,does a foto help me go to europe

The six prisoners who where beaten by the police in Pagani where broad to the police station again, it was the fourth day they hat to spent there, being questioned over and over again. Today they where looked in to a cell for 6 hours, also the one with asthma. A open assembly took place in Mytilini this afternoon. a Press conference on Thursday and a demonstration on Friday are planed to against this Repression towards the refugees

In the afternoon, 90 people where released from pagani and where broad to the harbour. This time every on was able to go on the ship, nobody has to spent the night at the harbour.

kind in pagani Continue reading ‘A little strand of self-organised freedom’

Good news followed by bad news

Published on October 25, 2009 in Detention, Photos and Revolt. Closed Tags: Detention, pagani, repression, Revolt, scary shit.

Some 200 people where released from Pagani today. While those at the harbour are missing their ferry, another revolt started in pagani.

We will give everyday revolt to you to come here!

After yesterdays good news about the release of 100 prisoners, we discovered there is also a bad one. They where brought to the harbour a little to late, as a consequence they missed the ferry and had to spent the night in the harbour. What seemed like a coincidences yesterday was continued today. 200 people where released from the detention center of Pagani. Again to late so they will also have to spent the night outside. The release papers are supossed to legalize them for 30 days, the problem is that most of the papers are predated 10 days. Altogeher it is far away from justice.

Another incredible news has reached us today.

All the witnesses from the police brutality where kindly released today. That implicates that there will be no one left to witness. A coincidence?

There was also another revolt in Pagani. Yesterday one of the cells was on fire, today another cell burned. The underage refugees are very angry. Since along time, no minors where released. One of them was injured during the fire and he was not brought to the doctor.

There is a rumor inside Pagani that it will be closed down on Wednesday, maybe because all of the cells are destroyed.