A neglected cemetery for migrants on the Greek island of Lesbos has undergone a drastic makeover

LESBOS, Greece – Most drowned while making the dangerous sea crossing from neighboring Turkey, while others died of natural causes in migrant camps on the Greek island of Lesbos.

After years of neglect, a makeshift cemetery for migrants on the island has been cleaned and landscaped to provide a dignified resting place for the dead and their families to visit.

Earth Medicine, the Lesbos-based charity that managed the project near the village of Kato Tritos, formally handed over the redesigned cemetery to municipal authorities on Wednesday.

“We wanted it to be clear that this was a cemetery, (primarily) for people who died at sea – some of whom were identified, while others were not,” said Earth Medicine spokesman Dimitris Patounis. “Before it was just a field.”

For years, Lesbos has been an important destination for people looking for a better life in the European Union. They leave Turkish shores crammed into small, unseaworthy ships supplied by smuggling gangs. About 3,800 people have made the trip so far this year.

Before the intervention, weed-choked graves were marked by a simple stone with a marker-written number or, in the rare cases where it was available, a name. Today, around 200 uniform gray slabs filled with white gravel cover each grave, clearly listing everything that is known about the occupant.

“Now people will be able to visit them when their (deceased) relatives are identified,” Patounis said.

Authorities stress that the cemetery is non-denominational, with recent inurnment services conducted by an imam, a Greek Orthodox priest or a Catholic priest, in accordance with the known beliefs of the deceased.

“This was done with human dignity in mind, without any religious affiliation,” Patounis said.

The cemetery is about a kilometer (½ mile) from Kato Tritos in the center of Lesbos, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the island’s capital, Mytilini. Other migrants have been buried in the past in municipal cemeteries in other parts of the island, but this is the only cemetery specifically for migrants.

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