The latest in a line of people arriving in Europe from North Africa despite the suspension of asylum claims and a concerted push for stricter detention rules, according to Greek authorities. More than 120 refugees and migrants are currently being intercepted off the island of Crete.
On Monday, two boats, reportedly carrying 58 and 68 people, were stopped, and their passengers were taken into custody and taken to temporary shelters. After strong winds ceased, more than 100 other refugees and migrants made their way to Crete over the weekend.
Greece’s conservative government suspended all asylum applications for people crossing the border from North Africa last month, according to the government’s claim that this action helped stop crossings, which soared to more than 2,500 in one week in July.
After negotiations with Libya’s Benghazi-based government to halt the flow of refugees were acrimoniously postponed in July, the ban was approved by the parliament as a result of the rising number of asylum seekers entering Crete.
Under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ administration, which has increased sea patrols and built a fence at its northern land borders since coming to power in 2019, it also further honed Greece’s stance toward refugees and migrants.
Concerning a proposal to construct a permanent transit facility on the island, the government and regional authorities in Crete continue to disagree. It is working on draft legislation to require ankle monitoring during a 30-day compliance period before deportation and for those whose asylum claims are denied.
At least 26 people were killed earlier this month when two boats floated off Lampedusa, in southern Italy.
The latest tragedy to hit refugees and migrants crossing the dangerous Mediterranean from Africa to Europe was that it also involved people traveling from Libya.
In Libya, rights organizations and UN agencies have also documented systematic abuse of refugees and migrants, including rape, extortion, and torture. In the most recent horror involving people trying to travel to Europe through the North African nation, in February, Libyan authorities discovered nearly 50 bodies in two mass graves in the southeast of the nation.
Source: Aljazeera
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