Violence

Living conditions in Moria camp have become unbearable over the past month as a dramatic increase in arrivals coincides with a deterioration in the weather and inadequate provision of food, shelter, healthcare and hygiene. Between the 1st and 26th of September 2017, 2,238 people risked their lives crossing the Mytilene Strait from Turkey to Lesvos, while during September 2016, 1068 people made this journey.

We express our deepest concern in relation to the information, complaints and testimonies about violence and abuse by the Hellenic Police in the detention center in Moria, Lesvos. Visual material depicting scenes of violent, inhuman and degrading treatment towards refugees causes disgust, while information about arbitrary arrests is of great concern. In addition, the action of citizens who appear, in the same video, to be attacking and severely beating migrants and refugees, under the tolerance of police officers, raises many questions and requires instant investigation by the competent authorities.