Tag Archive for 'pagani'

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Open day in Pagani

bed

Tuesday morning: The local newspapers reported that Pagani would be reopened after a period of two or three months as a open centre with no police guards. This is at least what local politicians and police authoities stated officially. The damages have been estimated, it is being cleaned thesedays and if or when the reparation is funded by the ministry works will go on.

living in the dark

Tuesday noon: Pagani has open doors.inside cleaning staff is trying to fullfill wonders for the prefecture. Empty rooms full of clothes, dirt, abandoned beds covered with black plastic bags some days ago the only method for some “privacy”, a cat playing freely inside the former prison. Former? The last cell is already clean. Matrasses a prepared. It looks as if Pagani was expecting “guests” again.

wc

Outside three FRONTEX employees inspect carefully the closed???? prison.

cell "cleaned up" for the newcomers of today

Tuesday afternoon: The weather forecast foresees rain and wind. The sky is grey. Pagani has turned on some lights in one of the cells. A police car is controlling the outer area. Clothes hanging on the fence. Tomorrow there should be a ship leaving to Chios in the morning. Tuesday end of the day: Is Pagani now closed or isn`t it?! We will read it in the newspapers of tomorrow.

Continue reading ‘Open day in Pagani’

Pagani to be converted to a open centre?

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

Final party in Pagani

It was the last night of Pagani when a group of imprisoned refugees started singing again.

The conditions inside had changed within the last days. Police had slowly given up to control the situation, they just locked the people inside and stayed outside. Since the doors were broken the refugees could move inside the yard and to all the cells. Some of the cells were burned, each revolt inside had left it’s signs on the building. It looked as if the building was breathing its final breath. Burned mattress were just thrown in front of the door. The yard was used to play football in these last days. And there was the singing in the night.
freedom for all! empty pagani!
The final night in Pagani on Friday turned into a real party-night. It began with question that would not sound crazy in any other place: “Do you need anything? I will just go, shopping.” Although he
didn’t belief it, our friend who was narrating about the party gave five Euro (“because it sounded crazy enough for me”). The guy jumped over the fence and came back with cigarettes, whiskey and beer.
in and out They started drinking and telling each other their stories of migration and what they are missing and about their life. “When I told my story it was so and I started crying myself about it.” When the beer was finished they wanted some more and so the guy jumped again. The police came to him and said he can not leave. “But I have to go shopping!” he said to them. “If you don’t want me to go I can make a list with our needs and you go get it for us.” Obviously the policemen didn’t want to go and said to him: “Okay go, but you have to return, you know!” He went himself and returned again with more beers. A real party started with a lot of songs in various languages. A lot of sad songs about the things people left behind – but also dancing and the hope to go further.
In the next morning there the first deportation from newcomers to Xios took place. It happened silent. They brought one bus with families a second one with men and boys and in the last minute a smaller one to the harbour of Mytilini. All in all about 50 people were brought to the detention camp in Xios.
A lot of things to be done to stop these deportations to another prison, to prevent the old Pagani-building to be renewed and reopened — and to fight for open centres and of course papers for everyone!!!.
Maybe, Pagani could be used as a memorial place.
bad weather
The ferry that was supposed to leave Mytilini on Sunday at 6:00 pm could not go because of the weather. Today, three days and two nights later, the ship with the released people has left the harbour of Mytilini.
Pagani is abandoned – looking ancient already.

The End!? Pagani exept four people!

As it was to suspect yesterday, the detention centre of Pagani became the ghost town of today. Pagani is know empty, except of four refugees. It is not clear jet what will happen with them.

Today they released five buses from pagani. When the buses left eight people remained in Pagani, a family with four members was released short after the others. Now, there are still four single men inside. One of them a unaccompanied minor, the other on is Abdul Hadi Otman Zahi. He has a red card and lives in Mytilini. A few days ago he was controlled by the Police who take his red card away and brought him to Pagani.

The released refugees are in the harbor of Mytilini right now. The ferry to Athens was supposed to leave at six o’clock to day. Because of the stormy weather it will not leave before midnight. Anyway, the atmosphere in the harbor is cheerful. Every one got a ticket and there is enough food for all.

Faces and Fates Part II

musa mohamad 16-sorry instead of love we give you trouble

I am so sorry, instead of love we give you trouble

Musa Mohamad, 16 years.

palästinian family with UN refugee status spend the night outside
This family from Palestine was released from Pagani yesterday. Because they were released to late they missed the ferry and spent the night outside.
They got refuge papers from the UNHCR, but they are not accepted in Greece.

Pagani: ghost town of "tomorrow"?!

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!
close pagani today lokal newspapers titel

Always waiting for the next day

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

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

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’

Police repression in Pagani increasing

Unlike the Noborder Camp in Lesvos 2009, the revolts in the Detention Centre of Pagani have not stopped jet. Almost every day we are informed about new revolts and also about new discharges. Police Brutality is increasing in the same manner. The Greek newspaper ΕΛΕΥΘΒΡΟΤΥΠΙΑ (= Free Press) published an article today about one case of police brutality and bribery:

burned cell of minor refugees

A 17 old boy from Palestine was beaten up very badly three days ago in the Detention Centre of Pagani. That happend during the Revolt after the Vice Ministers visit. They did not stop hitting the refugee until he lost his consciousness. He was lying on the ground behind the Medical container for more then two hours. As it is known now, all 40 witnesses of the beating were among those released yesterday.
Since the beating the 17 old boy and five other prisoners are being brought daily to the Police station of Mytilini. They have to spent the whole day there, being interrogated and threatened over and over again.

For the time being they are back in their cell in Pagani. They are very frightened and thus announced that they will not leave their cell at all, only if the vice minister him self would come to escort them into freedom.

The Vice minister on his side declared his aim was to close down Pagani as fast as possible and that he expects the respnsables to submit a report about the events after his visit by the end of the week. NGOs like RED (Rights Equality and Diversity), the network Raxen and FRA are worried about the increasing police brutality against refugees and human rights activists in Greece.

Our faithful source in lesvos also reports about another development concerning the police repression in Pagani.
hands reaching for welcome to europe information

Activists who wanted to distribute leaflets containing Information about legal rights of refugees and aslyum assistance serives in Europe, were hindered by the police. The police forbid the the contribution of flyers, talking to the underage or other imprisoned refugees and even standing in front of Pagani.

About w2eu

This is the blog of the antiracist network Welcome to Europe. It was formerly known as lesvos09.antira.info.

 

The name Welcome to Europe expresses the discontent and anger we feel when looking at the fatal realities of the European external border: the long documented deaths and suffering have continued for years, and no end is in sight. We stand for a grassroots movement that embraces migration and wants to create a Europe of hospitality.

 

We maintain our focus on the European external border in Greece, but will not limit ourselves to that geographical area. The right of freely roaming the globe has to be fought for everywhere. Join us!

 

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Voices from the Inside of Pagani (2009)

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