MSF reaction to the new prison-type center in Samos, Greece – Greece

On September 18, 2021, a new Multipurpose Reception and Identification Center (MPRIC) will open on the island of Samos. It is a symbolic moment showing the dangerous and harmful escalation of European migration policies which seek to deter people from seeking safety in Europe and to retain those who do. Some 500 people who remained at Vathy camp will be transferred to the new center from September 20. Located in a completely remote location called Zervou, this center is sold as an upgrade, but in reality it’s a dystopian nightmare – with millions spent on surveillance systems and military-grade barbed wire fencing.

Patrick Wieland, MSF field coordinator in Samos:

“How bold as we see what happens in countries like Afghanistan, the EU and Greece are inaugurating a new prison for asylum seekers on the island of Samos?” Maybe the barbed wire is shiny and new in the center, but it can’t be sold as an improvement. This is the perfect illustration of the criminality of EU migration policy – detaining and detaining people who escape violence and punishing them for wanting to be safe. It’s a shame. “

MSF psychologist in Samos:

“For months, our patients from the MSF clinic in Samos have been coming to their appointments with the fear of being locked up in the new center, feeling completely abandoned and helpless. For those who survived the torture, the new, highly controlled center does not only mean loss of freedom but reliving traumatic experiences of the past. The majority of our mentally ill patients on Samos show symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Between April and August 2021, a shocking 64% of new patients who reached our clinical mental health state had suicidal thoughts and 14% had a real risk of suicide.

“As psychologists working with people who are on the front lines of hardening Europe’s migration policies, we see their mental and physical well-being deteriorate on a daily basis. The opening of the new prison camp changes the collective identity of the refugees. , their self-esteem and their image: their dignity. Europe is breaking them down. “