Greece: Fear of forcible return

Index Number: EUR 25/011/2001
Date Published: 7 December 2001
Categories: Europe And Central Asia, Greece

On 3 December the Greek authorities forcibly returned 34 of a group of 89 Afghans and Iraqi Kurds to Turkey, without allowing them to apply for asylum. Some had allegedly fled torture and political persecution in their home countries. Amnesty International is concerned that the Greek authorities may be preparing to deport the rest of the group to Turkey. From there they risk being forcibly returned to their countries of origin, or other countries, where they might face grave human rights violations.