More than 120 refugees and migrants have been intercepted off the Greek island of Crete, despite the country’s suspension of asylum claims and tougher detention rules.
Two boats, carrying 58 and 68 people, were stopped on Monday, and their passengers were placed under guard at temporary shelters. Over 100 other refugees and migrants arrived on Crete over the weekend after strong winds eased.
The Greek government suspended all asylum claims for migrants arriving by sea from North Africa last month, arguing that it would help deter crossings that peaked in July at more than 2,500 in a single week.
The ban was passed in parliament amid a surge in asylum seekers reaching Crete and after talks with Libya’s Benghazi-based government to stem the flow were cancelled acrimoniously in July.
The Greek government has built a fence at its northern land borders and boosted sea patrols since coming to power in 2019.
It is preparing draft legislation that would mandate imprisonment for people whose asylum claims are denied and require ankle monitors during a 30-day compliance period before deportation.
The government remains at odds with regional authorities in Crete over a plan to build a permanent transit facility on the island.
The suspension of asylum claims and tougher detention rules have been criticized by human rights groups.
Filippo Ungaro, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Italy, recently highlighted the risks faced by refugees and migrants making the perilous Mediterranean crossing from Africa to Europe.
Since the beginning of this year, by675 people have died in the central Mediterranean while trying to make the crossing, Ungaro said.
The situation in Greece is part of a broader regional issue, with many refugees and migrants facing abuse and exploitation in Libya.
Rights groups and United Nations agencies have documented systematic abuse against refugees and migrants in Libya, including torture, rape, and extortion.
In February, Libyan authorities uncovered nearly 50 bodies from two mass graves in the country’s southeastern desert, highlighting the horrors faced by people seeking to make it to Europe through North Africa.