Statement by immigrants on hunger strike in Amygdaleza [NE of Athens]

By Amygdaleza Hunger Strikers, 20 November 2014, published on MUTE

Announcement from the immigrants on hunger strike in the Amygdaleza detention camp, Greece. (Transcribed from a telephone conversation, posted to Athens Indymedia, translated by a Mute editor. Background: 'Hunger Strike After Death of Immigrant at Greek Detention Camp'. Also see: 'About the riot in Amygdaleza immigrant detention camp', August 2013)

Our detention time has increased from 18 months to 26. The state puts murderers and drug dealers in jail. How can they legally detain us for 26 months, without having prosecuted us for anything?

In Amydaleza we are 3000 people unjustly incarcerated.

1000 of us are on hunger strike.

On 19/11/2014, 20 persons were taken to hospital in serious condition because of the hunger strike.

When we ask to see a doctor for a health condition they only see us a month later.

When we have a health condition the doctor asks us if we have money or if someone can send us some to buy the medicine we need. There is no other way to get medicine. The only medicine they give us is paracetamol.

On 19/11/2014, TV channels came to visit us because of the hunger strike, but the police sent them away.

Police officers swear at us, spit at us and assault us continually.

Police officers threaten us to make us stop the hunger strike.

When threats do not work, their superiors promise us that they will free some of us as a reward. Of course they only promise this to 5 or 10 persons in order to divide us.

Six days ago, two persons lost their lives. One was from Bangladesh, the other from Pakistan [TN: Muhammad Ashfaq]. The second had been asking to see a doctor for a month. After they took him in, they informed us that he died from a health condition. We believe that he died from a police beating during the transfer.

The food they give us is not good even for dogs. It is foul.

When it rains, the water comes into the hovels in which we live.

The stench is unbearable.

There are many among us whom the police have arrested despite us having a red card [TN: licence to remain]. They tore our papers and locked us up here, in the Amygdaleza inferno.

We are humans, not animals, although humans don’t even have rights to abuse animals in this way.

We have no other option than the hunger strike, even if we end up being buried alive in Amygdaleza. What democracy are you all talking about?

We ask for solidarity and the spread of information on what is happening here.



“Hunger strike until freedom”: Fourth day of hunger strike in Amygdaleza detention centre
Published on Infomobile November 20, 2014  

On November 17th, 2014 hundreds of refugees detained administratively in
the pre-removal centre of Amygdaleza started to protest massively
against the prolonged detention of more than 18 months, against the
detention of dozens of minors and the detention conditions that amongst
others recently led to the death of two detainees.

“They coop us up here like sheep and then don’t care anymore about us. (…)”
“There are persons detained 26 months. (…)”
“When we say ‘my stomach hurts’, they’d answer ‘my balls hurt’.”

Only on November 6th the 26-year-old Mohammed Asfak died of the
consequences of beating by law enforcement officers in Corinth detention
centre during one of the uprisings of migrants there 5-6 months ago. His
injuries had not been taken care of adequately. He was only transferred
to hospital after a break down. For 15 days he had been begging the
police to bring him to the hospital as he had respiratory problems. When
asking for medical aid, police even replied: “Die, we don’t care.” Only
some days after this tragic incident, another detainee from Bangladesh
died of lacking sufficient medical aid.

Yesterday, on the third day of hunger strike the Movement against Racism
and Fascist Threat (KEERFA) reported of 15 detainees who had been
transferred to the hospital after fainting and 90% participation in the
hunger strike. KEERFA furthermore said that the detainees chose to go on
hunger strike on November 17 as a symbolic move because the particular
date marks the 41st anniversary of the student uprising against the junta.

The Amygdaleza detention center is 10 kilometers away from Athens and it
is supposed to hold 1,000 inmates. In October 2014, the number of
detainees was 1,600. The facility has repeatedly come under serious
criticism both due to the indefinite time of the detention of migrants
and refugees, as well as the squalid conditions they are held in. Among
the approximately 1,600 detainees are many vulnerable groups such as
15-year-old children, asylum seekers, de facto refugees such as Syrians
and other nationalities whose deportation is not feasible according to
UNHCR such as Eritreans. There are also persons with close relatives in
other EU-member states awaiting family reunification, victims of torture
who have never been identified by the authorities and sick persons.

“We will fight until freedom”, an underage refugee declared, who has
been registered as adult.


At the same time that refugees and migrants in Amygdaleza protest
against inhumane detention conditions, illegal detention periods
(according to EU law 18 months are the maximum period of administrative
detention of migrants) and the imprisonment of minors, at the same time
that two migrants died within only one month due to lacking medical aid,
the court case against the 65 migrants detained in Amigdaleza who are
charged arbitrarily with different penal categories (revolting, violent
attempt to escape, severe physical harm, destruction of property etc.)
for an uprising on August 10th, 2013 is ongoing.

* the slogan refugees detained in Amigdaleza wrote on some beddings

Declaration of a detainee in Amigdaleza

Representing the refugees detained in Greece and specifically in Athens
(Amygdaleza) I take the initiative to write to you about the behavior of
the police towards us the migrants. There are many refugees who are
detained for more than two years already and still they are not being
released. They are treated in an inhumane way. There are many sick
persons amongst us who don’t receive medical care, who are not brought
to hospital and not even the elderly who are 50-70 years old.

Muhammed Asfaq from Pakistan, died on Tuesday 11th of November in
Menidi* detention centre. He was 25 years old and he had been in
detention for two years. The reason of his death was a disease that was
not treated. He was not brought to hospital. Specifically, he was not
treated with first aid the time he needed instead he stayed for two
hours lying on the floor until the ambulance came. He died inside the
ambulance.

There are approximately 1,500 refugees and migrants in Menidi. Among
them are many sick persons who don’t receive any medication. Not only
them but also the mentally sick don’t receive any care. Even it is
illegal to detain them. There is also a lot of racism from the police
reaching even to ill-treatment like beatings.

The doctor in the detention centre often cannot confront the severe
cases of sick persons so he asks for their transfer to hospital by the
police. The police never transfer us to the hospitals though. We don’t
have enough medicine here and we lack many things needed daily in a mass
detention centre such as cleaning articles and personal hygiene products.

Even if we want to return back to our home countries it will take more
than six months until we get the required documents.

We often held hunger strikes for up to three days, but no result. Now we
will be on hunger strike until something changes.

We ask you to help us, you who you are outside. Help us to fight for our
freedom.

Thank you

S.K. – detainee in Amigdaleza
17/11/2014

* By referring to Menidi the detainees are speaking of Amigdaleza
detention centre.

Source of the declaration: Efimerida ton Syndakton 19.11.14

HOME