migrants
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What Happened to Protection?
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I have lived in Athens for eight years. Long enough to know its rhythms, and long enough to watch the word “protection” disappear. Every headline speaks of “illegal immigration,” every policy turns arrival into suspicion. The system doesn’t ask why you came—it asks how. And in that shift, survival becomes…
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Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi and the EU’s Assault on Asylum Rights
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A Saudi Arabian dissident has been languishing in a Bulgarian detention center for over three years despite court orders for his release. Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi, an exiled pro-democracy activist, remains under threat of forced deportation to Saudi Arabia. His case has raised alarms among human rights organizations, which point to legal…
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How Germany Justifies Refugee Exploitation in Greece
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I followed the recent decision of the German Federal Constitutional Court closely—because it’s not just about one case. It’s about a system that people like me live under every day. The case was about an Afghan refugee who had already received protection status in Greece. He went to Germany, applied…
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Greece: Refugees Still Face Major Barriers to a Normal Life
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Even after receiving refugee status in Greece, daily life remains full of obstacles. The latest report by Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) and PRO ASYL confirms what many of us have already experienced: recognition on paper does not mean real protection or stability. As someone who has lived in Greece for…
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Stripped by the Border: Cold Borders, Colder Hearts
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There is something about the cold that strips away all illusion. It was winter 2017 when I crossed the border from Turkey to Greece and landed in Thessaloniki. Fourteen of us, huddled together, braving the ice-cold night. Some had been pushed back before—tortured, jailed, and sent back again. No one…
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We Were Never Meant to Belong
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Photo: Refugee temporary accommodation by IOM, Athens, November 17, 2020. In Iran, when the last days of a administrative come around, they do not go out with humility. No. They celebrate. They build stages and stand behind microphones, handing each other awards and shaking hands like they just saved the…
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Hate Takes Aim: A School Massacre in Sweden
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Sweden has changed. The welfare state that once defined it has been chipped away, replaced by widening gaps between the privileged and the discarded. The political class, unwilling to face the deeper economic roots of social decay, has allowed xenophobia to become the easy answer. And as waves of refugees…
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Concrete Sovereignty: The Geopolitics of Iran’s Border Walls
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Iran’s border walls, stretching along its eastern and western frontiers, are more than physical barriers—they are tools of political control and exclusion. Framed as security measures against smuggling, migration, and terrorism, these projects reflect a deeper agenda of consolidating state power and addressing regional pressures. The eastern wall, designed to…
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Voices from the Shadows:
Inside Sweden’s Deportation Camps•
Berham Mohammad, a Kurdish refugee in Gothenburg, recounts the harrowing conditions in a Swedish camp that resembles a prison-like environment with psychological warfare, inhumane treatment, and repeated violations of human rights. Incarcerated with other refugees, some long-term residents face forced returns, while harsh daily living conditions provoke hunger strikes and…
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Forgotten Refugees of the Balkan Route
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Trieste’s Piazza della Libertà and the nearby Silos warehouses have become a hub for migrants, mostly from Afghanistan and Pakistan, fleeing violence and seeking asylum. They endure harsh living conditions, with inadequate shelter, facing winter cold and illness. Volunteers provide some aid, while local organizations struggle to house the 420…
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Greece: The Uncertain Future of the Helios Program
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The HELIOS refugee integration project in Greece, managed by the International Organization for Migration and the Greek Ministry, was abruptly halted due to funding shortfalls since early 2024, leaving many refugees vulnerable to homelessness. The suspension hinders access to housing support, language courses, and employment resources. Funding inconsistencies and bureaucratic…
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Behind the Bravado:
The Human Costs of Mitsotakis’ Falsehoods•
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis boasted about excelling in migration management at a recent conference, but crucial issues were conveniently omitted. Violations of international laws and human rights, pushbacks of thousands of refugees, and a tragic shipwreck involving over 650 lives paint a different picture. European Commission’s silence and financial…
