The vaccination of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in the camps on the islands and the mainland was launched on Thursday.Vaccinations are scheduled to take place twice a week. The vaccinations at the reception facilities at Kara Tepe on the island of Lesvos, VIAL on Chios and Vathy on Samos …

Greece’s health experts have been talking about a new coronavirus mutation that has been detected in the center of Greek capital Athens. The experts speak of the strain as of the “Athenian mutation”, although it looks as if it is a variant of the stem from Nigeria. The detected mutation …

Returning unapproved asylum seekers to their home countries could become an easier task if European border patrol agency Frontex could operate outside of European borders, Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis said on Wednesday. Speaking virtually with German Deputy Minister for Migration Stephan Mayer, Mitarakis added that bilateral agreements with other …

Europe’s leading human rights body warned Tuesday that threats to democratic rights and personal freedoms have worsened during the pandemic, with some governments using health restrictions as a pretext to advance undemocratic political agendas. In a 148-page report lamenting a state of “democracy in distress,” the Council of Europe said …

What is going on in VIAL refugee and asylum seekers camp on the island of Chios? One Iranian asylum seeker died in his tent on Sunday night and a woman from Somalia gave birth on the side of the road waiting for an ambulance. Together with her newborn the 25-year-old …

Horror in VIAL refugee camp on the island of Chios: The body of a Somali asylum seeker who died in his tent was discovered Tuesday covered by mice eating his flesh. According to local media astraparis, the 28-year-old man died in his tent at midnigh from Monday to Tuesday, most …

U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday recognized the Armenian Genocide. The highly symbolic recognition coincides with Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day and comes 106 years after the beginning of the mass deportation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, which led to the deaths of up to 1.5 million people. “The American …

Greece is among the worst performers in press freedom issues withing the European Union, according to the annoual index 2021 published by watchdog Reporters without Borders (RSF) on Tuesday. Some European countries lead the world in respect for media freedom, yet the situation across the EU is growing increasingly heterogeneous. …

“A positive balance of departures relative to arrivals continued in the first quarter of 2021,” according to the monthly data released by the Migration and Asylum Μinistry on Friday. Ιn the period spanning January-March 2021, 3,072 migrants and refugees left Greece, while 1,597 arrived via the Aegean islands and Evros. …

An electronic surveillance network will safeguard Greece’s borders to Turkey at the region of Evros. Equipped with radars and cameras, the network installation is underway and will include eleven pillars along the Evros river in Greece’s North-East. The 11 pillars are along the river and the cameras have a range …

Greece’s Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis accused Turkey of seeking to escalate tension afterthe Greek Coast Guard reported harassment by a boat of the Turkish Coast Guard and that it escorted boats carrying migrants into Greek territorial waters. The harassment took place on Friday morning in the sea area North-East of …

The visit of EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson on the island of Lesvos and Samos  was met with protests by both locals and refugees. As the Commissioner visited the camps to discuss the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum and funding to Greece, charities warned that the …

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and US President Joe Biden on Thursday night held their first phone call since the latter took office in January. The US President invited the Greek PM to the White House and held an online event replaceing the traditional reception to commemorate the Greek Independence …

Chanting “traitors” and slogans with homophobic content, residents of Orestiada jeered Migration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarakis earlier on Monday. The angry mob booed and threw waters bottles, crackers and eggs at the minister visiting the broader area of Evros in north-eastern Greece bordering Turkey. They were holding Greek flags, …

One migrant died when a boat from Turkey dumped a group of 27 people at a remote beach of the island of Lesvos in the early morning hours of Tuesday. The man from Somalia who had underlying health problems most likely died due to the icy cold. The boat reportedly …

“Filoxenia”, the program to house asylum seekers at hotels throughout Greece, has concluded and contracts will not be renewed, the Migration & Asylum Ministry said on Thursday. Currently there are only 130 asylum seekers housed at a total of three hotels in Greece and they will be transferred to existing …

The Polyphonic Caravan, a project researching, safeguarding and promoting the Epirus polyphonic song has been selected in 2020 on the UNESCO Register of Good Safeguarding Practices The Polyphonic Caravan is a longstanding project aimed at researching, safeguarding and promoting the Epirus polyphonic song. Performed for centuries, the Epirus polyphonic song …

Three border guards and one policeman have been suspended from service after a video showed them beating two refugees outside a supermarket of the island of Lesvos, the Chief of the Greek Police announced on Saturday morning. An internal investigation has been launched against the four, the statement added. Police …

A Norwegian NGO has rejected claims by Greece’s Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis that it is helping people smugglers, describing it as a “deliberately misleading attack.” The NGO was featured in a presentation to foreign journalists by the minister on Tuesday. Mitarakis presented video testimonies by African migrants who said they …

Amnesty International is calling for the end of police violence and officers’ impunity in Greece following the recent excessive use of force or the use of illegal force. In its call the Greek chapter of AI urges people raise their voices and to sign a petition that will be sent …