The prison

Today first thing I went to the prison with Ahmad .. the men here have done nothing wrong… no crime. but their asylum claims have been rejected twice so they are taken to prison were they stay in 1 room together for around 2 months.. …..to clarify .. People who are rejected for asylum in greece . It is not because they don’t have a valid case .. it’s because of a rotten deal between the EU and Turkey to deport people back to Turkey.. even though Turkey is not a safe place for refugees …

I was a little apprehensive as last time the police were angry, asking for my ID and told me to go away.

This time I needn’t have worried. The police were so great and supportive. They showed such kindness and humanity. With the funds I bought each man a phone card so they can phone their families, some playing cards, dice, coffee, sugar and biscuits.

The men looked exhausted and broken, but I hope these things gave a little lift of spirits.

To escape war and violence only to be locked up in Europe, I wonder what world we are creating. They are not criminals, merely victims of the cruel and destructive EU/Turkey deal.

footnote: following this post Ahmad went to buy coffee at a local coffee shop and the Chief of Police came and said hi. When Ahmad went to pay, the Chief insisted on paying for the coffee. If you are not aware, this is a massive massive big deal .. an act like this has … The Ripple Effect….