The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, hailed Greece’s efforts to manage the refugee crisis in the organization’s annual report, while also expressing concern for the effects of closed borders on the well-being of refugees.
“I acknowledge the generosity with which Germany welcomed around a million people last year, and the efforts of Greece, throughout 2015, to take a humane approach, avoiding detention and pushbacks at sea,” Price Al-Hussein said in a speech before the Human Rights Council’s 31st session.
According to diplomatic sources, this statement is significant ahead of the EU summit on March 17-18, which will finalize decisions on EU’s migration policy and is the result of actions taken by the foreign ministry and in particular the meeting between the UN human rights chief and Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Amanatidis on March in Geneva.
“Meanwhile, the situation in Greece is dramatic. Migrants are now unable to leave the country because of border restrictions imposed by Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,” Prince Al-Hussein said.
“This lamentable approach, together with other measures taken by countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland, creates great distress for large numbers of people and compounds pressure on Greece, a country that is already in need of help. Greece has struggled for months to maintain humane conditions of reception for the desperate people who arrive by sea. I pay tribute to the honorable volunteers and activists who are trying to help them,” he added.
(source: VOA)
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