PROMACHÓNAS, Sept 25 — A migrant camp championed by Greece’s conservative government as a “model” for Europe has been rocked by repeated protests, with asylum seekers describing conditions so desperate that some say they are contemplating suicide.

Greece, which takes a hard line on migration, is one of five European Union countries working to set up “return hubs” outside the EU to where migrants refused asylum could be sent.

A meeting of 17 European countries’ interior ministers to discuss this project is due to take place tomorrow in Germany.

At the EU-funded Sintiki camp near Greece’s border with Bulgaria, police have repeatedly clashed with incarcerated migrants trying to break out after months in detention.

In an open letter last month, some of the nearly 400 Egyptian and Bangladeshi migrants held there said they were “exhausted”, barely getting enough to eat, and forced to share four bathrooms.

“Many of us are contemplating suicide... we are crushed, physically, psychologically and ethically... please save us,” they wrote.

AFP was unable to get access to the occupants of Sintiki.

‘Time bombs’ 

For people from Bangladesh, the rate of acceptance for asylum applications is less than one per cent, according to Greek migration ministry figures. The same goes for applications from Egypt and Pakistan.

Under the terms of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, which came into force in June, people applying for refugee status are detained until their case has been examined. If their bid is rejected, they remain imprisoned until being sent back.

The migrants also asked for permission to work so they could support their families back home.

“We have been jailed for over 12 months... people here are like time bombs,” the letter read.

The unrest has taken a visible toll on the facility, with the camp now looking “bombarded”, a senior police officer told AFP.

“Three of the four sectors of the facility were destroyed during the unrest”, said Giannis Kounios, head of the police union in the Serres region.

Damage to housing units has left many without shelter.

“A few days ago there was a heavy downpour and not everyone could fit inside,” Kounios said.

Uprisings 

Local police have called for the camp to close temporarily so repairs can be carried out.

Some local officials want it shut permanently.

“Is there anyone who wants a migrant facility in their area?” said Sintiki mayor Giorgos Tatsios.

“These people who have been locked up there for so many months — if they escape, does anyone know what they might be capable of doing?”

The camp has faced opposition from the start.

“Back in 2020, when it opened, there were local residents with hunting shotguns at the entrances to the villages to drive migrants away,” Tatsios said.

Community chief Spyros Leonidas of nearby village Promachonas said the location was not even fit for a camp.

“It’s inside a ravine. In winter, the temperature reaches -10C and 45C in summer. A person cannot survive there, especially locked up for so many months,” he said.

More than 50 migrants were arrested after two recent uprisings and later sent to prison.

‘Breaking point’ 

Yet even some guards acknowledge the frustration.

“What are these people supposed to do? They can’t take it anymore. They’ve reached breaking point,” one guard told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Lawyer Iraklis Pekiaridis, who represented migrants arrested following unrest in November, said some “preferred to go to prison rather than return to this camp”.

Activists who have visited the site have described conditions as “wretched”.

Afroditi Stambouli, a doctor and former lawmaker, said: “In November 2025, when 30 people were arrested, some of them came to court in torn clothes and flip-flops.”

She added that many suffered from skin diseases and other health issues.

“Hygiene conditions are wretched. Food is distributed once a day and there is no refrigerator to keep it, there is no washing machine, no cleaning supplies,” she said.

Migration ‘model’ 

Despite the criticism, Migration Minister Thanos Plevris has described Sintiki as a model for curbing migration.

The former hard-right lawmaker has suggested the camp’s harsh conditions are meant to deter future arrivals.

“Sintiki was a pilot project we ran with the aim of acting as a factor in reducing arrivals and increasing returns,” he told Open TV in August.

The migration ministry says illegal entries have fallen by 15 per cent in the first half of the year, and that it has largely eliminated legal pathways to asylum for migrants who entered the country irregularly.

Mayor Tatsios said authorities had originally promised the migrants would only stay at Sintiki for a month.

In nearby Promachonas, a village of around 100 residents, Leonidas said unease was growing.

“Until now there hasn’t been any problem,” the village leader said.

“But the villagers have started to feel insecure when they hear about incidents, uprisings and escapes. It’s only natural.” — AFP