Migrants on Greek islands ‘on edge of catastrophe,’ Council of Europe warns

The situation for migrants, including asylum seekers, in camps on Greek islands is “explosive” and “on the edge of catastrophe,” the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights warned on Thursday.

The state of affairs there has dramatically worsened over the past 12 months, Dunja Mijatovic told reporters at the end of a five-day visit. “Urgent measures are needed to address the desperate conditions in which thousands of human beings are living,” AFP quoted the official as saying.

Greece is struggling to accommodate over 70,000 migrants and refugees on its soil. Despite regular relocations to the mainland, there are over 34,000 people living in overcrowded camps on Greek islands.

The Greek parliament plans to adopt a new migration law enshrining the policy changes, and Mijatovic says the draft she has seen “raises concerns from a human rights perspective.”