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Stories from Samos: testimonials from asylum seekers one year after EU-Turkey deal

Since March 20, 2016, when the EU externalized its borders by striking a deal with Turkey, people fleeing war and persecution have faced extremely tough conditions on the Greek islands.

MSF has tried to shed a light on the living conditions of asylum seekers in Samos. More than 1,100 people are living in the hotspot there, without sufficient information about their future. There are major delays in their processing, due to a lack of manpower to handle their applications.

Unfortunately we were unable to film or take pictures of living conditions inside the Samos hotspot because the administrator there did not allow us to do so.

Even though the hotspot doors are open people cannot afford to live anywhere else. Many of the people there have been stuck for up to nine months, with no clear idea of what their future holds.

Asylum seekers stuck in Samos are emotionally exhausted. Many of those we met just want to be reunited with their families elsewhere in Europe. They don’t want to remain in a country that does not have the means to properly host them.

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