Human rights organizations hail gov’t stance over migrant detention
Amnesty International and the Greek Council for Refugees have welcomed a government decision to halt the indefinite detention of migrants held under return orders, following an announcement made by Alternate Minister for Citizens’ Protection Yiannis Panousis in Parliament earlier in the week.
The administration’s intention to cease the practice was “a step in the right direction,” the human rights organizations said in a joint statement released on Wednesday.
The practice, introduced by the previous government, stated that irregular migrants could go on being detained pending their return beyond the 18-month maximum period of detention stipulated by the law if deemed not to be cooperating with the execution of a return order.
