(24 March 2016) – International aid organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Wednesday it had suspended its activities at a refugee ‘hotspot’ on the Greek island of Lesbos, citing “unfair and inhumane” conditions.
The move came a day after the UN refugee agency UNHCR said it had suspended some activities in Greece, saying reception centres had become “detention facilities”.
“We took the extremely difficult decision to end our activities in Moria (on Lesbos) because continuing to work inside would make us complicit in a system we consider to be both unfair and inhumane,” said Marie Elisabeth Ingres, the head of the medical organisation’s mission in Greece.
MSF said its decision followed a deal struck last week between EU states and Turkey to force migrants and asylum seekers to return from Greek islands to Turkey.
“We will not allow our assistance to be instrumentalised for a mass expulsion operation and we refuse to be part of a system that has no regard for the humanitarian or protection needs of asylum seekers and migrants,” said Ingres. (AFP)