According to one report, asylum seekers are apparently being systematically held captive in narrow metal shafts and other dark rooms on ferries between Italy and Greece. Some of them were even handcuffed, reports the ARD political magazine “Monitor”.
Apparently, minors are also affected. According to Dana Schmalz of the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, this violates EU law and the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights. The company responsible for the ferry has denied all allegations.
“Monitor”: Makeshift Prisons
The Monitor reports that these are people who are being forced to return to Greece from Italy without being able to apply for asylum. The magazine has joint research with other media.
As part of European research cooperation, it was possible for the first time to prove the existence of temporary arrests on passenger ships. The research was based on photos and reports of those affected.
Among other things, they claimed that asylum seekers were sometimes detained on their way back to Greece without adequate food or access to a toilet.