WORLD / Society

Winter exposure threat looms for asylum seekers stranded in primitive crowded camps on Greek isles

A migrant stands between tents at the Moria refugee detention center on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos in March. Authorities on Lesbos have called for residents to strike during anti-government protests to press for a change in the European Union policy of containment of refugees and migrants on the Greece's islands that have turned Lesbos into an 'island prison,' according to island authorities. | AP

Thomson Reuters Foundation

Nov 23, 2017

LONDON –

Winter could bring death to asylum seekers stranded on crowded Greek islands with only summer tents for shelter, aid groups said on Wednesday, urging a mass relocation to the mainland.

More than 10,000 people, mostly Syrians and Iraqis fleeing years of war, have massed on the Greek islands that lie closest to Turkey, since the European Union agreed a deal with Ankara in March 2016 to shut down the route through Greece.

Authorities say the terms of the agreement prevent them from traveling to the Greek mainland until their asylum applications are processed. Those who do not qualify are deported.

Winter exposure threat looms for asylum seekers stranded in primitive crowded camps on Greek isles

In your social network

In your inbox

In your social network

In your inbox