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Lesvos: How EU asylum policy created a refugee prison in paradise
The EU asylum and migration policies implemented on the island are failing not only refugees and locals – but also democracy and the rule of law.
Located in the Aegean Sea, just off the Turkish coast, Lesvos is blessed with beautiful landscapes and endless olive forests, producing wealth and culture for centuries.
- Anna Iasmi Vallianatou
- Chatham House
But since 2015, Lesvos has instead been associated with the arrival of millions of refugees into Europe, becoming a key location on the perilous journey known as the eastern Mediterranean route.
In 2015, the residents of Lesvos were at the…