It is not the first such report by the State Department to note that undocumented immigrants and those perceived to be foreign are at much greater risk of human rights abuses in Greece. As in previous years the report catalogues numerous incidents of alleged abuses of such individuals by the security forces.
Read the full 2013 report here (pdf)
However, as in 2012, the increased activity of Golden Dawn (GD) and the associated violence and human rights abuses is also clear in the report. In its introduction it writes, that, “[among] the most important human rights problems during the year [were] unprovoked racist violence against migrants and individuals perceived to be foreigners”.
In some of the GD attacks police officers were said to have participated. In the section regarding the rights of ethnic minorities the report states,
“The UNHCR, local media, and NGOs reported an increasing number of racially motivated attacks on immigrants by far-right extremist groups, including GD members. The victims were mainly men from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and sub-Saharan Africa. They suffered various degrees of bodily harm and destruction of personal property. In April the Racist Violence Recording Network presented its 2012 findings, documenting 151 cases of violence, of which 130 occurred in Athens and the wider Attica region…In 148 of the 151 cases, victims reported more than one attacker; 25 attacks had direct police involvement; and in eight cases, victims or witnesses described GD insignias on the attackers’ clothing. Victims in all cases reported verbal abuse and threats against foreigners. The network noted that the actual number of cases was most likely higher, because many victims were undocumented immigrants and were afraid to report attacks.”
The report also describes how irregular immigrants have been abused by security forces with 35 reported cases of detained immigrants being beaten by officers. Particularly troublesome, according to the report, are the prisons and immigrant detention centers which, “did not meet international standards and national law. Problems included severe overcrowding, lack of material supplies, poor sanitation, problematic access to health care, and failure of authorities to separate convicted prisoners from pretrial detainees and irregular migrants from criminal detainees.” Immigrants also have limited access to the asylum application process and social support.
Prison conditions are also noted to be dire for HIV positive inmates who are subject to discrimination being, “separated from other inmates, and prohibited access to recreational, vocational, educational, and entertainment activities.” Particular mention is made of the poor detention conditions of HIV positive inmates in Korydallos prison. The inmates kept in the hospital wing of the jail have recently launched a hunger strike in protest of the deplorable conditions in which they are being held.
As in previous years the report also outlines the several long-standing human rights problems such as discrimination against and social exclusion of groups such as the Roma and the Muslim minorities primarily in the north of Greece. Roma children also face exclusion and exploitation and are far less likely to receive vaccines and medical treatment.
The report includes some positive points noting improvements with regards to corruption. According to Transparency International Greece has climbed 14 places in the rankings in the year. However the country still only is given a score of 40 out of a potential 100 (with 100 being for very low levels of corruption).