Greece

Greece: All people in Moria camp must be evacuated to safety in wake of destructive fire

by

Nearly 12,000 men, women and children have been forced to evacuate Moria refugee camp, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, after a fire tore through the camp during the night of 8 September. While the fire is not believed to have caused any deaths, the camp was almost completely burned down, and people are now on the … Read more

Greece: MSF forced to close COVID-19 centre on Lesbos

by

ATHENS – A COVID-19 isolation centre set up on the island of Lesbos, Greece, by Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been forced to close, after local authorities imposed fines with potential criminal charges, related to urban planning regulations. MSF strongly condemns the authorities’ failure to identify a solution to keep the isolation centre open when there is … Read more

Greece: Greek government must end lockdown for locked up people on Greek islands

by

COVID-19-related lockdown measures have had an impact on the lives of everyone around the world and generated increasing levels of stress and anxiety for many of us. However, the restriction of movement imposed in places like Moria and Vathy, on the Greek islands, have proven to be toxic for the thousands of people contained there. … Read more

Greece: Vulnerable refugees evicted and left to sleep on streets

by

Athens: An increasing number of refugees in Greece with severe health and mental health conditions are being threatened with eviction from their accommodation, cut off from cash assistance and left in the streets without access to shelter, protection or proper healthcare. Looking for a quick solution to decongest the overcrowded camps on the Greek islands, the … Read more

Greece: Evacuation of squalid Greek camps more urgent than ever over COVID-19 fears

by

ATHENS – The overcrowded and horrific living conditions in the camps – or  hotspots – on the Greek islands provide the perfect storm for a COVID-19 outbreak, warned Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Given the lack of adequate sanitation services and the severely limited medical care, the risk of the virus spreading amongst the inhabitants of the camps … Read more

Greece denies healthcare to seriously ill refugee children on Lesbos

by

ATHENS – In Moria camp, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, the Greek government is deliberately depriving at least 140 children with chronic, complex and life-threatening diseases of adequate medical care. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is calling on the Greek government to act on these grave medical concerns and evacuate all severely ill children to … Read more

European leaders: Stop punishing asylum seekers on the Greek islands

by

Open letter by Dr Christos Christou, International President, Médecins Sans Frontières Dear European leaders I have just come back from the Greek islands, and I was shocked by what I saw and by the accounts I heard from my colleagues on the ground. They told me about a 12-year-old boy who came to our clinic … Read more

Greece: Greek and EU authorities deliberately neglecting people trapped on islands

by

Some 24,000 men, women and children seeking protection in Europe are trapped on the Greek islands in horrendous conditions while being deliberately neglected by Greek and European authorities, says Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The harmful crisis, which is undermining the well being of thousands of vulnerable people, is the result of a faulty … Read more