Greek authorities have refused Amnesty International Greece with access to refugee accommodation centers and the hotspots so the organization can monitor current conditions, according to its director Giorgos Kosmopoulos.
As reported in the Greek daily Ethnos, Mr. Kosmopoulos claims that Amnesty International Greece has made in the past couple of weeks several written and oral requests to Greek authorities for a visit to refugee accommodation centers, but all have been turned down.
Specifically, Mr. Kosmopoulos claims requests were made to both Ministries of Migration Policy and National Defense, but officials from both ministries kept referring them instead to the jurisdiction of the other respective ministry.
Members of Amnesty International Greece sought today to enter the refugee accommodation center in Elliniko, a southern suburb in Athens, but were turned away by the authorities.
“You cannot refuse entry to organizations overseeing the protection of human rights,” said Mr. Kosmopoulos.
The Ministry of Migration Policy said that Amnesty International has not been refused access to refugee accommodation centers. According to the Ministry, Amnesty International wanted to video conditions in the refugee accommodation centers, a request that had to be denied so as not to cause discomfort and problems among refugees.
(Source: Ethnos)
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