The Greek parliament has approved a law that imposes tougher penalties on rejected asylum seekers and speeds up the return of migrants to their countries of origin, Reuters reports.
The decision is in response to a surge in migrants at the country’s southern border. The Mediterranean country was already on the front lines of a migration crisis in 2015-2016, when more than a million people fleeing war and poverty from the Middle East and Africa arrived in Europe. The flow of migrants has since subsided, but this year there has been a surge in the number of migrants from Libya. This has forced the government to temporarily suspend processing asylum applications from migrants from North Africa.
The new law stipulates that migrants arriving in Europe’s southernmost point from countries deemed safe by the EU and who have no grounds for asylum will have to return to their country of origin or face two years in prison and a fine of up to 10,000 euros. The changes to the law mark a tougher crackdown on migration by the conservative government, which
has built a fence on Greece’s northern border
and increased sea patrols since coming to power to deter migrants from entering the country.
Greece’s migration minister told parliament on the 2nd of September that the rights of Greeks who want to protect their country take precedence over those whose asylum applications have been rejected and who are in the country illegally.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said the law risks penalizing migrants in need of international protection. It recommended introducing accelerated procedures for asylum seekers that would allow for the rapid identification of those in need of asylum.
Greece has said it has already returned hundreds of migrants since suspending applications in July and is planning further flights to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Egypt. Rights groups have accused Greece of forcibly pushing migrants away from its borders.
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