The situation at the border crossings Gevgelija and Kumanovo for the period: 14.03.2016 – 20.03.2016

The weekly report on the situation at the border crossings Gevgelija and Kumanovo includes the following topics: Available facilities and conditions at the camp and Institutional treatment.

Gevgelija

Available facilities and conditions

Not a single certificate for expressed intent for asylum request was issued in the course of this week. This is due to the closing of the borders after the Summit of the EU countries and Turkey. At the aftermath of the Summit on 17.03.2016, it was reaffirmed that Turkey and Greece will be the first countries to deal with the refugee crisis.

On 19.03.2016, a delegation from Vatican, headed by the State Secretary, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, paid a visit to the camp.

Institutional treatment

In the morning of 14.03.2016, a group of refugees from Afghanistan and Iraq who were crossing Suva reka, were caught up in the gushing river. After they asked for help, the Macedonian police intervened to pull them out of the river. Most of the people in the group (about 20 refugees) were pulled out and  sheltered in the admission tent in the camp, but three people lost their lives – two women (one of them pregnant) and a man. The bodies were identified by a juvenile person who was a member of the family. About four people were hospitalized, where they were given the necessary medical help, and were later taken back to the camp. Two days later, most of the members of the group were deported back to the Greek side, apart from one family whose member was still hospitalized. It is symptomatic that several people from the group who stated that they would like to seek asylum to the Republic of Macedonia were ignored and their request did not come to fruition. Later on they were deported to Greece, along with the others who had decided to go back to Greece willingly.

The Helsinki Committee warns that ignoring the asylum rights constitutes violation of the refugees’ rights. We adamantly appeal to the competent institutions to urgently provide all persons wishing to seek asylum in our country with the necessary conditions to do so, without any further constraints or delays.

In the afternoon of 14.03.2016, around 1000 refugees from the Greek side illegally crossed the state border in the vicinity of the village of Moin, Gevgelija, due to the desperate conditions they were left in, in Idomeni. They were accompanied by Greek police officers, foreign reporters and activists from the camp in Idomeni. After  speedy intervention of the Macedonian security forces, they were prevented from moving on and their immediate deportation back to the Greek side was organized, which lasted until the next day.

Kumanovo

Available facilities and conditions

The number of refugees in Tabanovce (1000 left in the camp, and 430 people in the buffer zone from previous week), decreases with every passing day, because the groups scatter outside the camp, in unknown directions.  At present, the number amounts to approximately 1350 people.

The refugees are allowed to move in the vicinity of the camp and the neighboring villages. In addition, transport to Kumanovo is organized by the organizations and institutions in the camp, in case they need to take out some money from banks.

The conditions that the refugees are accommodated in are poor and unhygienic. Cases of viruses, contagious diseases and lice occur on daily basis.

The refugees who were accommodated in the kitchen have been relocated to the newly set-up tents in the camp, in order to put the kitchen in operation.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Frosina Remenski, paid a visit to the camp on 17.03.2016.

Institutional treatment

Increased tension and anxiety can be observed among the refugees in the camp. They often consume alcohol which they buy from the nearby villages or residents.

On 18.03.2016, a case of a missing person was reported, a girl with mental disability. The parents reported to the police that the girl had gone from the buffer zone into the camp, but never got back.

On 19.03.2016, on the other hand, a mother with three children reported to the police that her husband was physically abusing her and the children. The police called him in for a talk and warned him.

With the regular train line, at 5 in the morning, a group of 9 people from the camp were transported back to the camp in Gevgelija, at their own will.

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This report is made possible by the generous support of the Foundation Open Society Institute (FOSI) within the project „Improvement of the rights protection for migrants and asylum seekers in the Republic of Macedonia“. The contents are the responsibility of the Helsinki Committee for Human rights of the Republic of Macedonia and do not necessarily reflect the views of FOSI.