The Guardian: Afghan refugees in Greece left homeless due to system failure

“Poverty is almost inevitable,” says The Guardian, talking about the plight of Afghan refugees in Greece.

The Catch-22 system leaves them homeless – they face eviction after being granted refugee status, but they cannot qualify for homeless rent subsidies. Edition quotes 70-year-old Mohammad Ashraf Rasuli, who is still living in an Athens apartment but is facing eviction: “Even tomorrow we don’t know what will happen to us.”

He lives with his family in a two-room apartment in the suburbs of Athens. A former judge and legal adviser for the Afghan justice ministry who helped draft Afghanistan’s 2004 constitution faces eviction along with his family, including three grandchildren. This is in line with Greek rules, which state that after receiving refugee status, they must leave the accommodation provided to them within 30 days.

After being evacuated to Greece in October 2021, the entire family was in “suspense”. They hoped to be reunited with relatives in the UK. Due to the position of Rasuli, his journalist daughter and son-in-law Fazel Sultani, prosecutor of the Ministry of Justice, the family went into hiding after the Taliban stormed Kabul. Rasuli says:

“We had a lot of problems because the Taliban said that if someone works with NGOs or international organizations, we will be killed. It was very difficult for me to be there. We hid in several places until we were evacuated.”

Their children study in Greek schools, but before obtaining refugee status, Rasuli was afraid to go out, fearing that his documents would be checked. Now there are certificates, but how to rent an apartment? Access to rental subsidies requires a lease agreement, and landlords will not rent without confirmation of subsidies. Minos Muzourakis, Refugee Advocacy Officer for the Aegean Region (RSA), points out that the Rasouli family is far from alone:

“Poverty is almost inevitable for refugees recognized in Greece. The expectation that they will move out quickly despite social security exclusion and long, often year-long delays in updating documents is a political choice that violates the country’s legal obligations under jurisdictions across the continent.”

The RSA has collected more than a hundred testimonies of refugees recognized in Greece who collect waste paper in Athens and sell it to recycling companies, earning 10-20 euros a day. Many depend on canteens and solidarity networks. Athens Refugee Legal Coordinator Lucy Alper says:

“The situation of recognized refugees in Greece is terrible. Usually, people who have received protection status in Greece face poverty and homelessness after a positive asylum decision. The only Helios integration program funded by EU and implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) does not serve the purpose. Many people on the Helios program are unable to access the limited rental subsidies offered, as they must first open a Greek bank account, post a deposit on the apartment, and sign a house contract through the government’s online platform. Barriers at every turn, exacerbated by the bureaucracy of the Greek asylum system. Despite these setbacks, people are being evicted from their homes. There is no security system.”

The IOM notes that 19,000 people have already rented an apartment, indicating “feasibility of the requirements.” The organization added:

“There are all necessary services to support recognized refugees in finding and renting apartments… IOM, in consultation with its partners, provides support and translation in issuing all necessary documents… When obstacles arise, targeted support is provided to solve possible problems.”

Rasouli hopes to travel to the UK under the Resettlement and Afghan Aid (Arap) policy, but has been denied and is pending. His initial rejection letter, seen by the Guardian, said that since he has asylum in Greece, he will have access to medical care and be in relative safety, facts disputed by NGOs that have documented the precariousness of life for refugees in Greece. country.

For now, the family is staying in Athens in the hope of being offered a short term apartment. Nothing is certain in the future. The Greek Ministry of Migration did not respond to a request for comment.

* All names have been changed to protect identity.

However, the Minister for Immigration and Asylum, Mr. Notis Mitarakis, and the Deputy Minister, Ms. Sophia Vultepsi, have already sent a letter to the British newspaper regarding the publication, which “presents a distorted picture of the immigration situation in our country and the residence status of Afghans who have taken refuge in Greece after the capture Kabul by the Taliban.” The letter from Mr. Mitarakis and Mrs. Vultepsis states:

“The article seems to confuse two separate issues, namely the legal status and reception offered to asylum seekers and the integration of recognized refugees. And unfortunately, in the end it is not possible to give an objective picture of either one or the other. The article also fails to remind readers that refugees like Mr. Rasouli were invited to Greece by the government under the emergency humanitarian visa program after the fall of Kabul, where more than 800 Afghan citizens, including women MPs and judges, arrived safely. to Greece. While many other countries spend months or even years reviewing applications. The Ministry has decided to provide housing normally available to asylum seekers to all persons admitted from Afghanistan, regardless of their decision to seek international protection in Greece. As a holder of a valid visa, Mr. …Rasouli is absolutely not in danger of being arrested. It is indeed a pity if he was “afraid to come out in case his documents were checked”, but such fear is unfounded.

As regards the case of Mr. Rasouli, he chose not to take the opportunity to apply for asylum in Greece earlier than 7 months after his arrival in Greece. This decision is fully respected. However, the Greek authorities have been instructed to prioritize asylum cases for Afghans who have been expelled from their homeland. Mr. Rasouli’s decision not to apply for international protection immediately upon arrival in no way put him or his family at a disadvantage, as the Greek authorities extended his visa for the entire period. Mr. Rasouli and his family have been staying in the apartment all this time.

By applying for asylum, Mr. Rasouli automatically acquired the full range of rights granted to asylum seekers, including a tax number and a social security number. He was served with a positive decision within 90 days of filing the application. Since then, he has continued to live in housing normally available to asylum-seekers, despite the fact that recognized refugees are required to leave such housing 30 days after recognition. The authorities did not take any action to evict him and his family from the apartment.”

Concluding his letter, Mr. Notis Mitarakis says: “Overall, this article greatly undermines the efforts made by the Greek authorities over the past 3 years in the field of asylum and integration, despite known budgetary constraints and economic problems.”

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