Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 13th of December 2020

Case name: 2020_13_10-AEG734

Situation: 8 people including 1 women crossed near Feres to Greece and were transferred to a camp

Status of WTM Investigation: concluded

Place of Incident: land border Turkey Greece, near Feres

Summary of the Case:

On 13th of December 2020 in the early morning the shift team received the information that a group of 8 people recently crossed the border to Greece and police already found and brought them away. The caller was worried about their well being. Part of the group already experienced push backs before. We collected as many names and personal information as possible and informed the authorities at 02:42h CET as well as human rights organisations.

The whole day the group wasn’t reachable for the shift team and for the person who alerted the Alarm Phone. Finally we called at 17:10h the border police in Feres in Greek language. They didn’t want to give information to us although they knew about a group which has been found. Later the Alarm Phone called an office in Alexandroupoli who gave us to another number to call and promised to give us information the next day. Meanwhile the person who called the hotline initially had contact to the travellers. They stated to be with UNHCR and on their way to a camp.

The next day, 14th December 2020, we call the immigration office at 10:16h CET. They explained to us that the people are still detained in Feres but in an old military camp run by UNHCR. They are waiting for their transfer to another camp in the north. We close the case.