The Greek authorities must do everything in their power to prevent further politically motivated violence after a far-right supporter killed a musician and anti-fascist activist in the capital Athens yesterday morning, Amnesty International said.

Pavlos Fyssas – 34 and well-known for his anti-fascist views – was stabbed to death early on Wednesday. Police said that eyewitnesses identified his attacker, who was arrested at the scene – the 45-year-old man, who said he is a member of the far-right political party Golden Dawn, has reportedly confessed to the crime.

Golden Dawn has denied any involvement in the attack but the police moved to search some of the party’s offices. Several demonstrations took place yesterday evening to protest against the murder of Pavlos Fyssas.

“Politically motivated violence of this kind is unacceptable anywhere, and history has shown the grim consequences if it goes unchecked. The Greek authorities must send a clear message that attacks like this will not be tolerated, and the individual or individuals responsible must be brought to justice,” said Jezerca Tigani, Deputy Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International.

“Amnesty International has repeatedly expressed concerns over how intolerance and violence have been on the rise in recent years – manifesting themselves in public acts of xenophobia and racism, which have been met with a weak response by the authorities.

“The Greek authorities must stem this dangerous tide before it leads to further human rights abuses, which pose a serious threat to individuals’ safety and ability to exercise their right to freedom of expression. People must be able to express their political beliefs without fear of physical violence.”

Just before his death, Pavlos Fyssas had reportedly had a verbal dispute in an Athens bar on Tuesday evening. Upon leaving the bar, he and his friends were ambushed, reportedly by a group of far-right extremists.

According to eyewitnesses, between 15 and 20 people were involved in the ambush, many of them wearing black t-shirts and military-style trousers – similar to the clothing worn by Golden Dawn supporters. The police said the 45-year-old perpetrator arrived at the scene a few moments later brandishing a knife, which he used to kill Fyssas.

The killing occurred after several years of austerity measures in Greece amid a serious economic crisis. Far-right views like those espoused by Golden Dawn have also gained support during this time – the party currently has 18 seats in the Greek Parliament.

Last week, Golden Dawn supporters reportedly attacked a group of Greek Communist Party members, leaving eight people injured and in need of medical treatment. Attacks against migrants and refugees in the country have also been on the rise in the past two years, with some resulting in fatalities.

“This surge in xenophobia, intolerance and politically motivated attacks in Greece is truly chilling – the authorities must act now to prevent such violence from spreading before it gets out of hand,” said Jezerca Tigani.

Every year, tens of thousands of irregular migrants and asylum-seekers from the Middle East, Asia and Africa cross the Greek land and sea border with Turkey in search of shelter, refuge or just a better life within the European Union (EU). Few of them find it in Greece.

“Greece’s failure to respect the rights of migrants and asylum-seekers is taking on the proportions of a humanitarian crisis. Against a backdrop of sustained migratory pressure, profound economic crisis and rising xenophobic sentiment, Greece is proving itself incapable of providing even the most basic requirements of safety and shelter to the thousands of asylum seekers and migrants arriving each year,” said John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia Program Director at Amnesty International.

While the burden on Greece is great, there is no excuse for the obstacles asylum-seekers face in registering their asylum claims. A new agency set up by law in 2011 to hear asylum applications is yet to process a single case on account of staffing shortages.

In the meantime, at the Attika Aliens Police Directorate in Athens, only around 20 people succeed in registering their asylum application on the one day a week it opens. The queue forms days in advance and stretches hundreds long down the street. Amnesty International spoke to numerous asylum-seekers who had had to fight their fellows to keep their place.

The majority who do not manage – or give up trying – to register their asylum claims run the risk of arrest in mass sweep operations and of being detained in overcrowded, unhygienic detention facilities for up to a year or more.

“The Greek authorities continue to systematically detain asylum-seekers and irregular migrants including unaccompanied children in breach of international standards and seem to use detention – often in appalling conditions – as a deterrent,” said Dalhuisen.

“The situation of unaccompanied children, who are amongst the most vulnerable, is particularly worrying. We found several children detained among adults in very poor conditions during a recent visit at the Corinth detention center.

“Amnesty International has even received reports of people fleeing conflict and war in countries such as Syria being pushed back to Turkey through the river Evros”  said Dalhuisen.

There has also been a dramatic rise of  in the number of racially motivated attacks throughout 2012. Asylum-seekers, migrants, community centres, shops and mosques have been the target of such attacks which have been reported on an almost daily basis since the summer.

A draft presidential decree creating the specialized police units to curb racist violence is a first step towards the right direction, but falls short of  guaranteeing the effective investigations and prosecutions for crimes where victims are reluctant to approach the police for fear of arrest and detention themselves.

EU asylum policy requires asylum-seekers to return to the first country they entered upon arrival in the EU. However, after the European Court of Human Rights concluded in 2011 that Greece lacked an effective asylum determination system, many EU countries have halted the return of asylum-seekers to Greece.

“Most European countries have taken the right step in stopping the return of asylum seekers to Greece until the country reforms its asylum system. However, they must share responsibility for processing asylum applications and supporting asylum seekers more equally among member states,” said Dalhuisen.

“The current situation in Greece is totally unworthy of the Nobel Peace Prize winning European Union and so far below international human rights standards as to make a mockery of them. Greece needs help but it must also accept its own responsibilities.”