Immigrants end long hunger strike in Athens

[News_Editor]

Immigrants end long hunger strike in Athens

2011-03-10 03:17:02 GMT+7 (ICT)

ATHENS (BNO NEWS) -- Almost 300 immigrants who have been demanding residence permits ended their 42-day hunger strike on Wednesday after accepting the final offer made by the Greek government, the Kathimerini newspaper reported.

On January 25, 237 North Africans in Athens, and another 50 in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, began a hunger strike to pressure the government to grant them residence permits. The offer made by the Interior Ministry reportedly gives the migrants a six-month grace period to remain in the country but, crucially, allows this dispensation to be renewed every six months.

It also allows them to continue working in Greece during this period or to return to their homelands on humanitarian grounds without fear of being barred from reentering the country. The government also agreed to reduce to eight years the required 12 years that migrants need to spend in the country before they can be given legal status in exceptional circumstances, according to the newspaper.

More than 100 protestors were taken to the hospital since the hunger strike began in January because many of them were suffering from severe health issues, such as kidney and heart problems.

Greece is struggling to contain a wave of illegal immigration. Human rights organizations calculate that there are around 500,000 illegal immigrants currently living in the country, which has been repeatedly criticized for being one of the European Union countries that grants the smallest number of asylum pleas.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-03-10