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world news Diabierna 20 november 2020

Report slams conditions in Greek migrant detention centers

(AP) — The anti-torture commit- certainly continue given the push fac-
tee of the Council of Europe, the tors that exist in those countries from
continent’s main human rights which the vast majority of migrants
organization, slammed the con- come,” the report said.
ditions under which migrants are
held in some detention centers “Therefore, Greece together with
in Greece and voiced concern the support of the European Union,
Thursday over persistent allega- must put in place an immigration
tions the country illegally pushes detention system which abides by
back migrants coming from Tur- European values and norms. No per-
key. sons held in immigration detention
in Europe should ever be subjected
The European Committee for the to treatment or conditions which
Prevention of Torture said in a new re- amount to inhuman and degrading
port that Greece’s “current approach treatment,” the committee wrote.
towards immigration detention must
change,” and it urged Greek authori- Asked about the report, Greek gov-
ties to reform the immigration deten- ernment spokesman Stelios Petsas
tion system. The report was based on said “conditions in Greece have sig- to October 2019. minors from island camps to shel-
a mid-March visit to Greece. nificantly improved recently.” Petsas ters and hotels on the mainland or
noted that fewer migrants are arriv- to other European countries as part
At the time of the visit, Greece had ing in Greece and thousands of peo- The Council of Europe committee’s of relocation or family reunification
seen thousands of people attempting ple have been transferred from island report also slammed the practice of schemes.
to enter the country after neighbor- camps to the mainland. holding in protective police custody
ing Turkey announced its borders to “We have shown we can function, any asylum-seeking children and The Committee for the Prevention
the European Union were open to despite the very great pressure, with teenagers who arrive in Greece with- of Torture report noted that the treat-
anyone who wanted to cross. In re- greater effectiveness,” he said. “ and out parents or guardians. Hundreds ment of migrants arriving in Greece
sponse, the government shut Greece’s that is what we will continue to do.” of unaccompanied minors have been has been problematic for more than
borders and temporarily suspended held in often overcrowded and squal- two decades.
asylum applications for new arrivals. Greece continues to be one of the id police holding cells, sometimes for
most popular routes into the EU for weeks at a time. “The CPT has emphasized time and
The committee particularly criticized people fleeing conflict and poverty in again since its 1997 visit to Greece the
conditions in detention centers in the Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The Greek Migration Minister Notis Mi- need to address the structural defi-
Evros region near the border with vast majority arrive on eastern Greek tarachi announced Wednesday that ciencies in Greece’s immigration de-
Turkey and on the Greek island of Sa- islands from the Turkish coast. But the government was abolishing the tention policy,” the committee said,
mos, where the country’s most over- the country has made clear it is try- practice, and that no unaccompanied adding it has recommended practical
crowded camp is located. Conditions ing to reduce the number of arrivals. migrant child or teenager remained measures to ensure decent conditions
in these facilities “could amount to According to the Migration Ministry, in police protective custody as of for those held in detention.
inhuman and degrading treatment,” Greece saw a 90% reduction in arriv- Nov. 14. “However, the committee has been
its report stated. als from May to October compared to met by either inaction or a minimalist
the same period last year, with 4,345 In a response to the report, the Greek approach from the Greek authorities
“The problem of migration into people arriving during those months government noted it had carried out in addressing the very serious con-
Greece is not new and will almost in 2020, compared to 44,348 in May the mass transfer of unaccompanied cerns raised,” it added.

Japan records high of daily virus cases, amid worrying spike

(AP) — Japan reported a record deaths in a nation of 126 million since Those figures are still quite low com- discuss the Games and said partici-
number of daily coronavirus in- the pandemic began. But Tokyo saw pared to many places around the pants and fans would be encouraged
fections Thursday, amid a wor- a record number of single-day cases world experiencing dangerous surg- to get vaccinated — assuming there’s
rying spike in a country that twice this week, and the Health Min- es, and, while Prime Minister Yoshi- a vaccine in time — in order to pro-
has been spared the worst of the istry said Thursday that the national hide Suga urged the thorough use tect the Japanese public.
pandemic and hopes to host the number hit a record with 2,179 new of masks Thursday, he did not call
Olympics next year. cases. That’s the first time Japan has for reissuing restrictions on travel or The plan appears to be predicated on
had more than 2,000 daily cases since business. the idea that, with virus infections
Compared to many other countries, the pandemic began. The previous low in Japan, the main risk is from
Japan has done well combatting the high was set Saturday. But experts on Tokyo’s coronavi- people arriving from abroad. If cases
virus, reporting just under 2,000 rus panel called for officials to se- surge in the host country, however,
cure more beds for patients and ho- it’s not clear how that would be ad-
tel rooms for those with less serious dressed. Any plan will have to be
symptoms before infections climb firmed up beginning next month and
further. in early 2021.

“We must stop further escalation of Experts say Japan’s wide use of face
the infections, no matter what,” To- masks as well as cultural traditions
kyo Gov. Yuriko Koike told reporters. that don’t include handshakes or kiss-
Koike expressed concerns about ris- ing might have helped keep the coun-
ing infections among elderly people, try’s caseload low. After Japan issued
who are at high risk of becoming se- nonbinding stay-at-home and busi-
riously ill when infected and could ness closure requests in the spring,
strain the medical system. the number of cases leveled off, even
as many people still commuted, pic-
The steady climb in cases now could nicked in parks and dined at res-
call into question plans to hold the taurants that stayed open. During a
Olympics next summer after they surge in the summer, Japan saw larger
were postponed because of the pan- number of daily infections, but seri-
demic. IOC President Thomas Bach ous cases and deaths remained low.
was in Japan earlier in the week to