Refugees

Desperately in Athens

To the North of Europe you are not allowed to travel, in your home, you do not want to return thousands of refugees from Afghanistan are currently sitting in Greece. Jannis Papadimitriou met some of them.

Mohamad Mohamadi and his seven year old son on a long trip. About the Turkey, the two came to Greece and want to continue to Northern Europe, in a country, “in the life,” as Mohamad says. The cool nights, to spend father and son in the suburb of Hellenikon, in a former sports hall, which was converted to a refugee camp. Mohamad, who comes from Afghanistan, during the day the place with his son in the city, much visited Victoria. The place is considered to be a meeting place and information exchange for Refugees from all over the world.

In a DW interview, the 30-Year-old complains that the refugees would only the bad and sometimes even rotten food in the Camp, many would become sick. Not least for this reason, many in need of protection gathered in the centre of Athens. “Here in the vicinity there are Afghan shops. Sometimes residents or other people come over, bring us something to eat,” says Mohamad.

Mohamad Mohamadi and his son are happy when the residents bring something to eat

A number of people from Afghanistan would prefer to stay on the open road at Victoria square. How about Alem Ayubi, the remains since eleven days with his wife and child in Greece. In his home he had been from the Taliban threatened, says the 32-Year-old in an interview with DW. “I was a COP in Afghanistan, I worked with police chief Mustafa Mohseni, and to the arrest of a future suicide bomber. Since then, the Taliban are behind me and they threaten to kill me.”

His hope for a free life in the North of Europe was so far disappointed. The reason: After Austria has introduced an upper limit for refugees and all countries of Southeast restricted in Europe, then the cross-border traffic, remain thousands of new arrivals in Greece – the entrance gate to the EU for refugees. Afghans are not allowed to ever travel more. And more and more people to come: on Wednesday Alone, of 10,000 migrants and refugees in Idomeni were stranded on the border to Macedonia – in a district that was set up for a maximum of 2,000 people.

Alem Ayubi remains for eleven days with his family in Greece

Also Alem Ayubi had to sit for four nights in Idomeni fixed and empty-handed to Athens back in honor. Today, the father of a family has only 90 euros in the pocket and can’t afford another trip to the border. If a request for asylum in Greece would be an Option? “I feel safe here, but I’ve heard that there is hardly any work in Greece. If the border is opened, I however, prefer to be on the way. If not, then nothing else remains for me to ask for asylum,” says the man from the Region of Baghlan.

Escaped from Kunduz

Abdullah Arab and his wife have a concrete goal in mind: you want as quickly as possible to Austria. The Couple has taken a dangerous journey from the Northern Afghan city of Kunduz on Iran and Turkey to Greece. In Kunduz, the situation is still tense and dangerous, explained Abdullah in an interview with DW. Although the city was conquered by the troops of the government, but the Taliban controlled still all the suburbs. “It’s war, one of my brothers was killed in the Region prevails everywhere. This was also the reason why I had to leave Afghanistan,” says the 30-Year-old.

For six days the Arab Abdullah and his wife to remain on Victoria-square, in the heart of Athens. Hundreds of refugees and migrants spend the night under the open sky on dirty blankets, without access to sanitary facilities. Many older people, mentally scarred by the war, but also small children and newborns. In the morning, the cleaning-to-back workers, a little later, relief organizations are in use and distribute the ratio of food portions ned. In General, each refugee receives a Sandwich, a piece of fruit and a bottle of water.

Abdullah Arab is fled from Afghanistan after his brother was killed

Iran is not an Option

In total, more than 20,000 new arrivals are stuck in Greece. In order to get the situation under control, the government of new Camps – often with the help of the army. Particularly large crowds at the moment is that in the former passenger terminal at the port of Piraeus. There are more than 3,000 people in a confined space to sleep, only barely against the wet and cold. Also Sahra, al-Husseini set up there. Her husband and two daughters are with their three sons arrived in Wiesbaden, Germany, she reports with pride and visibly moved.

Now, Sahra hopes that the family comes together in Germany again: “I miss my children, my boys, I want to see you again. But now we hear that the border is closed to Macedonia for Afghans. This is a great disappointment. I don’t know what I should do. We want to live with our family in Germany, what am I doing here in Greece?”

Like many other refugees from Afghanistan, the family of Sahra Husseini lived for years in Iran before they came to power in February via Turkey to Greece. A return would be out of the question for her. “The location was good for us and we also had no papers, we have lived there illegally. Of course, this was a big Problem,” says the five-fold mother.

About the conditions of stay and the meager meals in Piraeus Sahra Husseini does not want to tell much. Because: “We are not to eat and Drink here, we want to go to Germany.”

Employees: Reza Shirmohammadi