refugees.gr | 16 July 2025
Joint Statement: The unlawful suspension of access to asylum in Greece must be immediately withdrawn
Athens, 16 July 2025: We, the undersigned civil society organisations, condemn the unlawful and impermissible legislative provision adopted by the Hellenic Parliament on Friday 11 July 2025 (Article 79 of Law 5218/2025) which imposes a three-month suspension on the making of asylum applications for people arriving in Greece from North Africa and orders their immediate deportation without registration.
The right to seek asylum and protection from refoulement are fundamental principles that may never be restricted. Both are enshrined in international and EU Law instruments that supersede any domestic legislative provision, as already highlighted by reputable institutions at Greek and international level, including the Greek Ombudsman, the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, the Union of Greek Administrative Judges, the Plenary of Greek Bar Associations, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and UNHCR.
We call on the Greek government to immediately withdraw this unlawful legislative provision and on the European Commission to take urgent measures to enforce EU Law and to immediately put an end to its infringement, in line with its responsibilities under the Treaties.
The undersigned organisations:
- Solidarity of Lesvos
- Association AMOKA / Athenian Museum of Fine Arts
- ANTIGONI – Information and Documentation Centre for Racism, Ecology, Peace and Non-Violence
- ARSIS Social Organization for Youth Support
- Médecins Sans Frontières – Greek Section
- Amnesty International
- International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
- Network for the Rights of the Child
- Network for the Right to Roof and Housing
- Network of Young People of Immigrant Origin “ORIZONTES”
- Diotima Centre
- Hellenic League for Human Rights (ELEDA)
- Greek Observatory of the Helsinki Accords (EOSA)
- Greek Forum of Migrants
- Greek Refugee Forum
- Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)
- Sea of Solidarity
- Iris Women’s Centre
- Caritas Hellas
- Campaign on Access to Asylum
- KISA Action for Equality, Support, Antiracism
- Community of Pope John 23rd
- Cyprus Council for Refugees
- Human Rights Watch (HRW)
- Drop / Drop in the Ocean
- Association of Albanian Immigrants “Mother Teresa”
- Symbiosis – Council of Europe School of Political Studies
- Refugee Support in the Aegean (RSA)
- Lighthouse
- Action for Women
- aditus foundation
- Alma Community Therapies
- Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de España (APDHE)
- Associazione Ricreativa e Culturale Italiana (ARCI)
- Association for Legal Studies on Immigration (ASGI)
- Athens Pride
- Advocates Sans Frontières France
- Boat Refugee Foundation
- Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN)
- Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
- Changemakers Lab
- Collective Aid
- Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ)
- CPT – Aegean Migrant Solidarity
- CRIBS International
- Defence for Children International Greece
- Dråpen i Havet
- Dynamo International Social Street Workers Network
- 4. ECHO100PLUS
- Emantes – International LGBTQIA+ Solidarity
- EmpowerVan
- Equal Legal Aid (ELA)
- Equal Rights Beyond Borders
- Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice
- EUROCEF
- EuroMed Rights
- European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)
- European Lawyers in Lesvos (ELIL)
- European Observatory for Non-Discrimination and Fundamental Rights (EONDFR)
- Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid
- Fondation pour la Promotion des Droits en Algérie
- HIAS Greece
- The HOME Project
- Human Rights Association (IHD)
- Human Rights Legal Project
- InterEuropean Human Aid Association
- International Rescue Committee (IRC) Hellas
- International League for Human Rights
- I Have Rights
- Inter Alia
- INTERSOS HELLAS
- Iridia Association – Centre for the Defence of Humans Rights
- Ithaca Laundry
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Europe
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Greece
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Malta
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Portugal
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Serbia
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Switzerland
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) UK
- Legal Centre Lesvos
- Licra Bas-Rhin
- Lighthouse Relief
- Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH)
- Médecins du Monde International
- Migrant Voice
- Mobile Info Team
- Mouvement International d’Apostolat des Milieux Sociaux Indépendants (MIAMSI)
- Northern Lights Aid
- Office international de l’enseignement catholique (OIEC)
- PAX Romana (ICMICA- MIIC)
- Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)
- PRAKSIS
- PRO ASYL
- Project Armonia
- Refcheck point (Positive Voice)
- Refugees International
- Refugees Welcome, Denmark
- RENATE Network (Religious in Europe Networking against Trafficking and Exploitation)
- Safe Passage International Greece
- Safe Place Greece
- Samos Volunteers
- SAO Association Hellas
- Save the Children
- Second Tree
- Servicio Jesuita a Migrantes España
- Terre des hommes Hellas
- Velos Youth Centre
- Vouliwatch
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