Author: Marina Rafenberg
LETTER FROM ATHENS Outside the Malakasa migrant camp, north of Athens, in April 2020. ANGELOS TZORTZINIS / AFP In Athens, the death of a Pakistani migrant, Muhammad Kamran Ashiq, has raised concerns. Found dead at a police station, he appeared bruised and beaten, with allegations of police torture. The circumstances and lack of surveillance in his cell have led to outrage and demands for justice. Another troubling incident Following Ashiq’s death, another migrant, a Bangladeshi man, was found dead after hanging himself in an Athens police station. Questions about police treatment and accountability have surfaced, prompting investigations and calls for…
Workers gather potatoes on a field on the island of Naxos (Greece), on June 20, 2024. STELIOS MISINAS / REUTERS Greek MP Giorgos Gavrilos recently criticized the conservative government’s labor laws, which include longer working hours and criminalizing union actions. The controversial law allows certain companies to make employees work 48 hours a week. Despite Prime Minister Mitsotakis’ defense, concerns about working conditions and employee exploitation remain. “I want to stop, because the working conditions are awful” The government argues the law is necessary due to a shrinking population and skilled worker shortages. However, many, like waiter Tilemachos Pappas, express…
Two defendants who were cleared, during the trial of nine Egyptians prosecuted following a fatal shipwreck off Pylos, in June 2023, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Kalamata (Greece). NIKITAS KOTSIARIS / VIA REUTERS In a moment of relief and joy, the courtroom in Kalamata, Greece, erupted with applause and tears as two defendants were acquitted in the trial of nine Egyptians implicated in a deadly migrant shipwreck. The incident in June 2023 off Pylos claimed over 500 lives, making it one of the worst Mediterranean boat disasters. Greek authorities faced criticism for their delayed rescue efforts, leading to questions about…