{"id":23211,"date":"2020-03-06T16:16:10","date_gmt":"2020-03-06T14:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.arsis.gr\/?p=23211"},"modified":"2020-03-06T16:16:10","modified_gmt":"2020-03-06T14:16:10","slug":"protect-our-laws-and-humanity-open-letter-by-85-organizations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arsis.gr\/en\/protect-our-laws-and-humanity-open-letter-by-85-organizations\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Protect our laws and humanity!&#8221; Open Letter by 85 Organizations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>To: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Mitsotakis <br>President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli  <br>President of the European Council, Charles Michel  <br>President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Athens, 6\nMarch 2020 <\/em><\/strong>\u2013 The undersigned organisations are deeply concerned about recent\ndevelopments at the Evros border and the Aegean islands where people are stranded\nat the borders of Europe, instrumentalized for political purposes, and subject\nto violations of their rights. We are also deeply concerned about the way the\nauthorities of Greece and the European Union are handling new arrivals. Equally\nalarming are the extreme actions by security forces against refugees and by\ncivilians against staff of human rights and humanitarian organizations. We would\nalso like to point out that the climate of panic and rhetoric of &#8216;asymmetric\nthreat&#8217; \u2013also promoted by the authorities\u2013 does not reflect reality and\nseriously affects not only vulnerable refugees- but also our society and the\nrule of law as a whole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Specifically:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>We firmly express our opposition to the recent decisions<\/strong> of the Greek\nGovernmental Council on Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA), and in particular\nthe adoption of the Emergency Legislative Decree, which stipulates the\nsuspension of the right to seek asylum for all people entering the country and\ntheir return without registration, to their countries of origin or transit. Applying\nsuch a regulatory provision is inhumane and illegal as it violates the\nfundamental principle of <em>non-refoulement<\/em>,\nincurs international responsibilities for Greece and endangers human lives. It\nis beyond dispute that Greece has the sovereign competence to control its\nborders and to manage any crossings there. Nevertheless, the right to seek\nasylum is a fundamental human right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of\nHuman Rights and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>We also denounce<\/strong> the attacks on organizations that\ndefend human rights and humanitarian organizations, noting that without the support\nof these organizations, the refugee management system in Greece would collapse.\nIn addition, solidarity has been stigmatized and become the target of suspicion, which has been also exacerbated by members of the Government, fomenting\nviolence and lawlessness in society in general. We denounce any statements,\nactions or policies that foment or tolerate bigotry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>We call upon\nthe Greek Government to:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022 100 \u2013 Hellenic Police <strong>Withdraw the illegal and unconstitutional Emergency\nLegislative Decree<\/strong> and to respect the obligations of the Greek State concerning\nthe protection of human life and rescue at sea and at the land borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022 Immediately\nstop returning people to states where their lives and freedom are at risk, or where\nthey are at risk of being subjected to torture or other inhuman or degrading\ntreatment or punishment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022 100 \u2013 Hellenic Police <strong>Immediately alleviate overcrowding on the\nislands by relocating asylum seekers to the mainland, protecting their\nwell-being and health<\/strong>. Priority should be given to the most vulnerable,\nunaccompanied minors and families with children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022 Take the\nnecessary measures to protect every person from acts of violence, victimization\nand racism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>We recall that the EU should assume substantial responsibilities\nfor the protection of people on the move<\/strong> in a manner\nthat demonstrates respect for human dignity and lawfulness and as a matter of\nshared responsibility among EU member states in the context of managing what\nis, first and foremost, a European issue. The right to asylum and the respect\nfor the principle of non-refoulement are fundamental elements of international\nand EU law and therefore the authorities of the European Union must take the\nnecessary measures for their protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Therefore:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022 100 \u2013 Hellenic Police <strong>The European Commission, as the guardian of\nthe Treaties<\/strong>, should protect the right to asylum as enshrined in EU law.\nTherefore, it should reverse the \u201caspida (shield)\u201d rhetoric used by Greece and\nurge it to assume its legal obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022 EU Member\nStates should re-establish immediately the <strong>mechanisms\nfor the relocation of refugees and asylum seekers from Greece<\/strong> to other\nMember States, in a fair and rational manner, with priority given to\nunaccompanied children. EU Member States should increase resettlement of\nrefugees directly from Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022 EU Member\nStates and institutions should revise the EU-Turkey Statement, which \u2013in\naddition to legal lacunae\u2013 has now proven to be an unpredictable and\nunsustainable political tool for border management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In closing, we\ncall on all sides to respect the law and safeguard European democratic values.\nAny further backsliding will have major consequences on European societies, European\ndemocracy and the rule of law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>List of\nSignatories <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ACTIONAID HELLAS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ACTIONAID INTERNATIONAL<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ACTIONAID ITALIA<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ADDART (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u0391\u0399\u03a4\u0399\u039c\u0391 (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ANTIGONE (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ARSIS \u2013 ASSOCIATION FOR THE SUPPORT OF YOUTH (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ASSOCIATION FOR INTEGRATION AND MIGRATION (Czech Republic)&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ASSOCIATION\nFOR LEGAL INTERVENTION&nbsp;(Poland)&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ASOCIACI\u00d3N\nPOR TI MUJER (Spain)&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BABEL DAY CENTER (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CARITAS HELLAS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CENTRE DIOTIMA (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CHANGE MAKERS LAB (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CHILD AND YOUTH CARE ASSOCIATION (SMAN) (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DANISH REFUGEE COUNCIL (DRC)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DEFENCE FOR CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL GREECE<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DUTCH COUNCIL FOR REFUGEES (DCR)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ECOLOGICAL MOVEMENT OF THESSALONIKI (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ECHO100PLUS (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION (Greece) <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ELIX (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">END FGM EUROPEAN\nNETWORK<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">EPAPSY (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">EQUAL RIGHTS BEYOND BORDERS\n(Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">EUROPEAN ANTIPOVERTY\nNETWORK&nbsp;(EAPN)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON REFUGEES AND\nEXILES (ECRE)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FIX IN ART (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FORENSIC ARCHITECTURE (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FUNDACION CEPAIM (Spain)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">GENERATION 2.0 RED (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">GREEK COUNCIL FOR REFUGEES (GCR)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">GREEK FORUM OF MIGRANTS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">GREEK FORUM OF REFUGEES<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">GREEK NETWORK FOR THE RIGHT TO SHELTER AND HOUSING<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HELLENIC ANTIPOVERTY NETWORK<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HELLENIC LEAGUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (HLHR)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HELP REFUGEES \/ CHOOSE LOVE<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u0397\u0399\u0391S GREECE<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HUMANRIGHTS360 (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">IMMIGRANT COUNCIL OF\nIRELAND&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">INITIATIVE FOR THE DETAINEES\u2019 RIGHTS\n(Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">INTER ALIA (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMMITTEE (IRC)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">INTERSOS HELLAS&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">IRISH ANTIPOVERTY NETWORK<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LEGAL CENTRE LESVOS (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LEROS SOLIDARITY NETWORK (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LESVOS SOLIDARITY (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MED.IN MEDICAL INTERVENTION (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MEDECINS DU MONDE \u2013 GREECE (MDM &#8211;\nGREECE)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES \u2013 GREECE (MSF \u2013 GREECE)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MELISSA NETWORK (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u039c\u0395\u03a4\u0391DRASI (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NETWORK FOR CHILDREN\u2019S RIGHTS (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OMNES (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ORGANIZATION EARTH (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OXFAM<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PAX CHRISTI INTERNATIONAL (Belgium)&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PLATFORM FOR INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION\nON UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANTS (PICUM)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PRAKSIS (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">RED ACOGE (Spain)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">REFUGEE LEGAL SUPPORT (RLS) (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">REFUGEE RIGHTS EUROPE (RRE)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">REFUGEE SUPPORT AEGEAN (RSA)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">REFUGEE TRAUMA INITIATIVE (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SAFE PASSAGE INTERNATIONAL <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SCHEDIA STIN POLI \u2013ARTISTIC PEDAGOGIC YOUTH ORGANIZATION (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SEA OF SOLIDARITY (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SERVICE CIVIL INTERNATIONAL-HELLAS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SOLIDARITYNOW (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SOS RACISMO (Spain)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">STATE&nbsp;OF&nbsp;CONCEPT (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">STIL-UTRECHT (Netherlands)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SYMBIOSIS-SCHOOL OF POLITICAL STUDIES (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SYNDICAT&nbsp;INTERPROFESSIONNEL\nDE&nbsp;TRAVAILLEUSES ET TRAVAILLEURS\n(SIT) (Switzerland)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">TERRE DES HOMMES HELLAS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">THE HOME PROJECT (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">THESSALONIKI PRIDE (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u03a4HESS DICTIO \u2013&nbsp;VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS\u2019 NETWORK OF\nTHESSALONIKI (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">TRANSGENDER SUPPORT&nbsp;ASSOCIATION\n(Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VICTORIA SQUARE PROJECT (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WORLD WITHOUT WARS AND VIOLENCE (Greece)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/arsis.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/daphne_Tolis.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23206\" width=\"452\" height=\"602\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/arsis.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/daphne_Tolis.jpg 720w, https:\/\/arsis.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/daphne_Tolis-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/arsis.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/daphne_Tolis-9x12.jpg 9w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 452px) 100vw, 452px\" \/><figcaption>Daphne&nbsp;Tolis,&nbsp;Evros,&nbsp;Greece&nbsp;2020 <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Download the open letter <a href=\"https:\/\/arsis.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/final_JointStatement_04032020_EN.pdf\">here<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To: Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Mitsotakis President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli President of the European Council, Charles Michel President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen Athens, 6 March 2020 \u2013 The undersigned organisations are deeply concerned about recent developments at the Evros border and the Aegean islands where &#8230; <a title=\"&#8220;Protect our laws and humanity!&#8221; Open Letter by 85 Organizations\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/arsis.gr\/en\/protect-our-laws-and-humanity-open-letter-by-85-organizations\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about &#8220;Protect our laws and humanity!&#8221; Open Letter by 85 Organizations\">Read more<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arsis.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arsis.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arsis.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arsis.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arsis.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arsis.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arsis.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arsis.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arsis.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arsis.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}