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Activists accuse the police of harassment of immigrants

03 July 2013 / 17:07:36  GRReporter
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According to the Greek police, 713 illegal immigrants were extradited to their countries in June this year whereas the total number in August 2012 was 10,831 people of different nationalities.

In particular, 292 immigrants were extradited following the issuance of warrants against them for illegal entry into Greece.

The largest is the number of extradited citizens of Albania, 107, followed by 36 Algerians, 31 Pakistanis, 12 Georgians, 9 citizens of Iraq, 8 of Afghanistan and India, 8 of Egypt and 7 people from China.

Extradition warrants for illegal entry or stay in Greece were issued to the persons concerned and they were returned to their country by regular flights operated from Athens airport.

Another 103 Albanian and 4 Bulgarian nationals were extradited under the supervision of the service in charge of the transportation of detainees to the judicial institutions in Attica.

The other 421 foreigners were sent back to their countries with the support of the Greek branch of the International Organization for Migration.

The operations related to the extradition of immigrants are financed by the European Return Fund and national resources.

At the same time, the civil movement, "United against racism and the fascist threat", have accused the airport police of torturing the immigrants who do not want to be extradited.

The communication of the organization states that the police are using any means to force the immigrants detained at the centre in Amigdaleza to accept to be returned to their countries.

According to the activists, immigrants from the centre had been taken to the airport for forced return after being beaten by policemen. When they refused to be returned, the policemen took them to a room at the airport and tortured them.

Three immigrants said that they had been beaten and tortured with an electric device. One of them, named Daut Ahmet, had previously accused a policeman at the centre of wounding him in the eye. According to his current account, the policemen had punched him in the face, used an electric device on him and then kicked him in the stomach.

The second immigrant, Ivon Walid, had scars from hits and chafes on his back.

The third immigrant, Vasi Haider, complained that the police had put an electric device on his genitals. He had a wound on the arm and there was blood on his clothes. According to the immigrants, in addition to the beating and torture, they had been forced to have oral sex with one of the policemen.

The organization urges the police leadership to remove the employees who are part of the "racist system and torture immigrants while forcibly extraditing them." The activists also call for the suspension of the operations to detain illegal immigrants within the context of the operation "Xenios Diaz" and for the closure of the detention centres.

The police have not commented on the specific allegations.

Tags: Crime newsIllegal immigrantsExtraditionDetention centreAmigdalezaTortureActivists
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