One hundred twenty people, many women, young children and babies. Refugees and migrants. One hundred twenty souls live in a place with capacity for forty people. They spend their days and nights in the detention center of the Police Headquarters of the island of Rhodes, next to the prison.
An unofficial hot spot where migrants and refugees arriving on Rhodes and surrounding islands like Kastelorizo and Tilos are been transferred.
Babies sleep on a blanket on the hard cement floor.
Sanitary and safety conditions are beyond words.
Two policemen are assigned with the safety of all these people.
The conditions at the Police headquarters were made public by the Union of Police Employees in Dodecanese. The chairman of the union spoke with private Alpha TV which broadcasts nationwide.
Video & report by private Alpha TV
The Chairman of the police union, Manolis Androulakis, said that there are not established infrastructures for refugees and migrants on Rhodes. “These people should have been transferred to official hot spots in Kos and Leros,” he said.
Androulakis added that the Greek Migration Policy Ministry was responsible for the transfer. “We have informed them many times, but nothing has happened so far,” he underlined.
The union chairman said also that many of these people do not submit asylum requests and therefore they are stuck on the island.
PS However, I am not sure these “new arrivals” can submit asylum requests when they are outside the established hot spots.
Nevertheless, the Greek Migration Ministry has to deal with the issue asap.
It’s about time that Tsipras sacked Mouzalas, who has proven to be a complete disaster and a disgrace to Greece.