Out of the spotlight: The rights of foreigners and minorities are still a grey area
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................... 3
1. RED, YELLOW (AND GREEN): NAVIGATING THE MIGRATION MAZE .......................... 4
1.1 Background.......................................................................................................................... 5
1.2 The legal framework ............................................................................................................ 6
1.3 Areas of concern regarding the legislative provisions.......................................................... 10
1.3.1 Limitation of the scope of the review process .......................................................... 10
1.3.2 Lack of access to professional interpreters ............................................................... 12
1.3.3 Lack of legal aid...................................................................................................... 12
1.3.4 “Interruption” of the examination ............................................................................ 13
1.4 Areas of concern in the application of the legal framework ................................................. 14
1.4.1 Access to the application procedure......................................................................... 14
1.4.2 Length and complexity of the process...................................................................... 17
1.4.3 Blanket rejection of applications at first instance ..................................................... 18
1.4.4 Failure to fully explain the reasons for rejection ...................................................... 18
1.5 Cases illustrative of the above-cited concerns ..................................................................... 19
1.5.1 H.B., in his thirties, Turkish national ....................................................................... 19
1.5.2 M.M., Sudanese national ......................................................................................... 21
1.5.3 Former hunger strikers ............................................................................................ 21
1.6 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 22
2. DETENTION AND ILL-TREATMENT OF MIGRANTS........................................................ 23
2.1 Background........................................................................................................................ 23
2.2 Arbitrariness and conditions of detention............................................................................ 25
2.2.1 Arbitrariness of detention ........................................................................................ 25
2.2.2 Conditions of detention ........................................................................................... 28
2.2.3 Detention of children............................................................................................... 30
2.2.4 Ill-treatment of women prisoners ............................................................................. 32
2.3 Failure to protect victims of trafficking............................................................................... 33
2.4 Police ill-treatment ............................................................................................................. 35
2.5 Excessive use of force and persisting ill-treatment of Albanian nationals ............................ 38
2.6 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 43
3. AN OLYMPIC SHADOW: VIOLATIONS OF THE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL
RIGHTS OF THE ROMA............................................................................................................ 45
3.1 Background........................................................................................................................ 45
3.2 The legislative framework .................................................................................................. 46
3.3 Applying, interpreting, and enforcing International Law ..................................................... 47
3.4 Failure to honour relocation contracts ................................................................................. 50
3.5 Forced evictions of Roma in Patras..................................................................................... 52
3.6 Racism and discrimination against Roma............................................................................ 55
3.7 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 57
4. BETWEEN EXISTENCE AND OBLITERATION: THE (IN)VISIBILITY OF MINORITY
GROUPS ..................................................................................................................................... 59
4.1 Background........................................................................................................................ 59
Amnesty International 5 October 2005
AI Index: EUR 25/016/2005