In an emergency regime, the government is closing Crete’s “gate” to Europe, putting out the right to asylum -even for refugees of war from Sudan, a BBC report describes the new terms in migration in our country.

In the center of a choking, huge room, dozens of men sit unmoved, with nothing to concern them beyond waiting. Behind them, old advertising from a tourist exhibition invite visitors to “discover the beauty of nature”, with pictures of beaches and creeks in Crete.

But those held at the old exhibition center of Agia did not come to the island for vacation. They are immigrants who crossed the sea from Libya to Europe and are now prisoners, even deprived of the right to apply for asylum. From Crete, they are transferred to closed detention centers in mainland Greece.

The right to asylum is guaranteed by the Greek Constitution, the EU legislation. and international law. However, since the beginning of July, the Greek government – an emergency state – suspended this right for at least three months, the BBC notes.

The new Minister of Immigration Thanos Plevris spoke to the BBC about “invasion” and the need for “deterrence in every way”: “Whoever comes, will be arrested and returned,” he said. Even people who leave the war in Sudan are now being held without any ability to explain their story.

As the BBC writes in Ayia, the guards forbade immigrants from talking to reporters: “They are in custody,” they said. The report references to the detention conditions: a few taps, with no regular shower, floor blankets, clothes and games stacked – all unused. The temperature exceeds 40 ° C and many men circulate naked.

Within two days, BBC reporters saw about 200 people from Egypt, Bangladesh, Yemen and Sudan. Among them about 20 teenagers and two women. But a weekend earlier, 900 people landed from Libya, reaching the limits of the structure.

From January to the end of June, more than 7,000 immigrants arrived in Crete – three times as much as in 2024. In total, nearly 20,000 passages were recorded in the Eastern Mediterranean, with the Libya -Crete corridor the main road.

According to the BBC, the phenomenon increased after the Italian -Libyan deal to intercept vessels at sea, despite complaints of torture and human rights violations. In July, the Greek government announced that “the road to Greece is closing”, with Kyriakos Mitsotakis telling the House that “those who come in illegally will be arrested”.

A few days later, 20 -year -old Mustafa – who left the war in Sudan – was arrested. He was transported from Ayia to Amygdaleza, to a camp with pre -constructions, fences and cameras. “We live in prison,” he told the reporter by phone. “They don’t let us move, we have no clothes or shoes. Our situation is miserable. “

Lawyers confirm what they say: New Flames walk barefoot, without information. According to law, Sudanese refugees normally receive asylum. Mustafa narrated how he stayed for months in inhumane conditions in Libya and crossed the sea for two days with 38 people on an inflatable boat.

‘We did not reach land because of the waves’, They were saved in the sea as he explains. Now he is afraid that Greece will deport him back. “I came because there is war and I want protection. Now I don’t know what my luck will be, “he says.

Minister Plevris describes his attitude as “harsh” in relation to the migration: “No country can withstand such pressure and not react,” he says, defending the new government measures. Initially he claimed that Crete accepted “up to 3,000 people a day”, but then reduced the number saying “about 1,000 in three days”, the BBC said.

Plevris defends the suspension of asylum and says that the Sudanese could stay … in Libya. “We try to balance the rights of immigrants with the protection of Greek society ‘, supports. “Anyone who enters Greece these three months violates the law.”

The Commission states that it “examines the situation” and speaks of “exception” due to the sharp increase in arrivals, which may affect Europe’s security.

Poland also stopped asylum applications on its eastern border in March, though with various exceptions. Greece did so in 2020, in the crisis of Evros. Some provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights may be suspended “in times of war or other public emergency”, but legal disputes whether the current situation falls in this category either in the case of Greece or Poland, the BBC notes.

“This article is about war or general uprising”says Lawyer Dimitris Fourakis of Crete, who works with immigrants in Crete and finds a worrying trend across Europe, warning that closed structures will soon reach their limits: “It’s easy to say ‘we’ll send them back’, but it’s almost impossible in practice. It is an illegal decision and must stop immediately. “

The sharp increase in arrivals coincided with the culmination of the tourist season. The Minister of Immigration states that tourism protection is an absolute priority. ‘I never saw immigrants’says Andreas Lougi, a tavern owner in Paleochora. “The boats go mainly to Gavdos.” However, it is noted that even the reputation for their arrival is damaging to businesses. “People think they are full of immigrants here and there are no beaches … we care about the survival of our families.”

Suspension of asylum is only a part of a broader plan to suppress the “irregular” migration. The minister plans to imprison those who do not deport after their application and apply electronic surveillance with “bracelets”. At the same time, it promises a strict review of benefits.

Citing “millions” of candidates to North Africa, Plevris calls on other European countries to appreciate Greece’s “defense line”: “If the EU Saints do not take tough measures, all this flow will reach you”he says.

Every night, as the sunset dyes Crete Orange, ports carry small groups of immigrants to the port to board the night ship to Athens. When arrivals increased, there was no room for everyone in the boats.

Strong winds, not the government’s determination, seem to have slowed down the flow of boats for the time being, stresses the BBC and stresses that although the government claims to be a temporary measure for summer, reactions are growing. The reactions relate to “how easily governments can violate a fundamental right to the name of security. He also raises questions for people such as Mustafa from Sudan, who escaped the war and is now arrested in Europe. “