ABSTRACT
The Greek Law for Aliens (L.1975/1991) is the defining origin of the collective victimization of the migrant community in Greece. This law is very much informed by a ‘Fortress Europe’ conception, later echoed in the Schengen Agreement, focussing on the protection of the single European entity from illegal migration and irregular asylum seekers. The Greek legal framework materializes this common policy2 in three main directions: 1 drastic reduction of the number of petitions for asylum and curtailment of
the rights of asylum seekers, using a strict visa policy, the ‘safe third country’ principle, a narrow definition of the refugees entitled to asylum, and the immediate rejection of ‘obviously unfounded’ petitions (Karydis, 1996b). Article 4 of the law allows for the immediate administrative repatriation of irregular aliens with no judicial remedy. The particular article has been employed by law enforcement agencies in hundreds of thousands of cases in recent years:3
2 deterrence of illegal entry by a set of provisions threatening penalties both for illegal entry and exit, punishing anyone who will help the illegal entry and imposing fines on carriers;
3 exclusion of irregular migrants from any public service, such as health care (except in emergency cases) and education, and punishment of those working without a permit as well as those who hire them, etc.
