Mória Reception and Identification Centre (Greek: Κέντρο Υποδοχής και Ταυτοποίησης Μόριας), better known as Mória Refugee Camp, or just "Mória", was founded in January 2013[1] and served as the largest refugee camp in Europe until it was burned down in September 2020.[2] It was located outside the village of Moria (Greek: Μόρια, Mória) near Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Enclosed with barbed wire and a chain-link fence, the military camp served as a European Union “hotspot”. It was described by Human Rights Watch as an open air prison.[3]
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History
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In August 2018, it was dubbed by the field coordinator of Doctors Without Borders as "the worst refugee camp on earth", as reported by the BBC.[4] "I've never seen the level of suffering we are witnessing here every day", says Luca Fontana, MSF Lesbos coordinator (7'42).[5] The camp was built to accommodate around 3,000 people, however there were around 20,000 people living in the camp in summer 2020, among whom 6,000 to 7,000 were children under the age of 18.[6]
Because of overcrowding, the camp expanded into a nearby olive grove, known as "Moria jungle", where the living quarters were makeshift, typically made out of pallets and tarps.[7] The migrants cut down an estimated 5,000 olive trees, some of them centuries old, to use as firewood.[8] The residents of the nearby village of Moria have complained of increased criminality, including break-ins, vandalism, and looting of houses.[9]
Visited in 2019, the camp was described as a "concentration camp on European soil" by Jean Ziegler, vice-chairman of the committee of experts advising the UN Human Rights Council.[10] Pope Francis also referred to the camp as a concentration camp. [11]
On 30 September 2019, a fire in the camp killed one Afghan woman[12] who was the wife of the man who would commit the 2023 Lisbon Ismaili Centre stabbings.[13] On 8 September 2020, a fire badly damaged the camp of more than 12,000 asylum seekers.[14] On 10 September, three Greek ships were sent to help shelter the migrants.[15] By then, the camp was almost completely destroyed.[16] Most of the refugees were left homeless on the street. During protests demanding their evacuation Greek police fired tear gas at them.[17]
The Greek government maintains that the fires were started deliberately by migrants protesting that the camp had been put in lockdown due to a COVID-19 outbreak amongst the migrants in the camp. On September 16, 2020, four Afghan men were formally charged with arson for allegedly starting the fire.[18] Two other migrants, both aged 17, which is below the age of full adult criminal responsibility in Greece, were also allegedly involved in starting the fire, and were held in police detention on the mainland.[19] Defence lawyers stated that the following trial had "major procedural violations" including incomplete translations, and that the conviction was based largely on testimony from one witness who did not attend. An investigation by Forensic Architecture based on photos and videos of the spread of the fire found that the it was more likely to have been started by improvised electricity supplies in the midst of flammable tent-like housing in a hot, dry environment, and spread by the wind. This was corroborated by a report from the Lesbos fire department.[20]
After the closure of the Moria camp, a temporary facility was rapidly set up at Kara Tepe.[21] A more organised closed reception centre for refugees and asylum seekers was approved to be built by the Greek government with EU approval after the fire destroyed the Moria camp. It will be located at the Vastria area (near the village of Nees Kydonies) in north-east Lesbos and was scheduled be completed by summer 2022.[22] However, the greek Council of State revoked the construction permit, due to a lack of an environmental study, and construction work has since been put on hold.[23]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Psaropoulos, John. "A Brief History of Moria". The Critic.
- ^ "LESVOS ISLAND - GREECE". UNHCR.
- ^ "Human Rights Watch Says Lesbos Refugee Center "Open-Air Prison"". The National Herald. 22 November 2018.
- ^ 'The worst refugee camp on earth' - BBC News. BBC News. 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
- ^ "Children attempting suicide in Moria". BBC. 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
- ^ "Aegean Boat Report". 25 August 2019.
- ^ "Greece: Refugee "Hotspots" Unsafe, Unsanitary". Human Rights Watch. 2016-05-19. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
- ^ "Μεταναστευτικό - Μόρια: Αφανίζονται αιωνόβια ελαιόδεντρα και γίνονται... καύσιμη ύλη" [Immigrant - Moria: Centuries-old olive trees disappear and become ... fuel]. Protothema. 2020-04-07. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
- ^ "Λέσβος: Ανάστατοι οι κάτοικοι της Μόριας από την εγκληματικότητα" [Lesvos: The inhabitants of Moria are upset by the crime]. Protothema. 2020-04-07. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
- ^ "Jean Ziegler: "Nous avons recréé des camps de concentration"" [We have recreated concentration camps]. L'illustre. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
- ^ NULL (2017-04-24). "Pope's Homily at Mass for Memory of "New Martyrs" of 20th & 21st Centuries". ZENIT - English. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
- ^ Smith, Helena (2019-09-30). "Riots at Greek refugee camp on Lesbos after fatal fire". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ Couzens, Gerard; Fahey, Ryan (2023-03-29). "Two 'generous' women stabbed to death in knifeman rampage in Muslim centre". mirror. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ "Thousands flee fire at Greece's largest migrant camp". DW. 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Moria migrants: Greek ships to help shelter 13,000 after fire". BBC. 10 September 2020.
- ^ "Greece's overcrowded migrant camp on Lesbos hit by more deliberate fires". CBC News. 10 September 2020.
- ^ "Greek riot police fire teargas at refugees campaigning to leave Lesbos". The Guardian. 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Afghan Migrants Charged With Arson in Fires that Destroyed Lesbos Camp". The New York Times. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ "Afghans Charged With Arson For Fire At Lesbos Camp". The Washington Post. 16 September 2020.
- ^ Fallon, Katy (6 Mar 2023). "New doubt thrown on Moria arson convictions on eve of appeal hearing". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ "Lesvos reacts angrily to plans for new immigrant structure". greekcitytimes.com. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ^ "Λέσβος / Ετοιμάζουν κλειστή δομή για τους πρόσφυγες στη Βάστρια" [Lesvos / They are preparing a secure structure for the refugees in Vastria]. Αυγή (in Greek). 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ^ Newsroom (2023-08-08). "Λέσβος: Το ΣτΕ ακύρωσε την άδεια για ΚΥΤ στη Βάστρια". Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-02-09.
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