Journey of Death to Europe and the Challenges Syrian Refugees Face in Greek Camps

In this report, the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression sheds light on the challenges facing Syrian refugees on their journey from Turkey to Cyprus and Greece, and the tragic conditions they face in Greek camps and cities while awaiting their crossing to Europe or being forcibly returned to Turkey then to Syria in some cases.

 Where the report founded that the conditions that Syrian asylum seekers and refugees endure in the camps, which are described according to the testimonies, lack the minimum rights guaranteed by international covenants to human beings, including their right to obtain protection and asylum, their right to bodily integrity, protection from cruel and degrading treatment, their right to health care, education, adequate housing, and liberation from hunger.

Also The detention of asylum seekers by the Greek and Turkish governments and the Cypriot authorities violates the UNHCR standards and rules applicable to the detention of asylum seekers, the most important of which is the obligation to respect the right to seek asylum, and to guarantee the rights of the individual to freedom, safety and freedom of movement, that any decision to incarcerate be based on an assessment of each individual’s personal circumstances, that detention conditions be humane and dignified, taking into account the particular circumstances and needs of each asylum seeker.

In its methodology, the report relied on live testimonies and accounts from people who made the asylum journey, as well as on the opinions of experts and human rights activists in the study countries.