Author
Number of arrivals in Greece and statistics
A total of 48,298 refugees and migrants arrived in Greece during 2025, as reported by the MoMA,[1] marking a 21% decrease compared to 2024 (60,886). Of this total, 85% arrived by sea, the vast majority of whom on Crete (19,799), and the rest by land (7,582).
As reported by UNHCR in 2025,[2] a total of 41,696 refugees and asylum-seekers arrived in Greece by sea. The majority are from Afghanistan (10,156, 24%) Sudan (9,104, 22%), Egypt (8,149,(20%), Bangladesh (3,738, 9%) and Syria (1,640, 4%). Among them, 12% are women, 20% children and 68% men.
In December 2025, there was an increase in arrivals to the islands with 4,655 people arriving, compared to 2,577 in November. During 2025, the Crete region received the majority of new arrivals, accounting for 47%, followed by the Dodecanese islands at 18%, Samos at 12%, Lesvos at 10%, Chios at 8%, and other islands at 5%. Overall, sea arrivals in 2025, have decreased by 23% compared to 2024.[3]
Moreover, according to UNHCR,[4] 7,075 persons arrived in Greece through the Greek-Turkish land border of Evros in 2025, compared to a total of 7,702 persons in 2024.
It is noteworthy, as in previous years, that the number of entries may under-represent the number of people attempting to enter Greece and/or having already found themselves on Greek territory, as alleged pushbacks practices, such as those inter alia confirmed by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in A.R.E. v. Greece and G.R.J. v. Greece, have continued being reported in 2025.[5]
Lastly, as reported by UNHCR,[6] 107 persons were reported as dead or missing during 2025, once more underlying the critical gap in safe and legal pathways to protection.
In the maritime borders particularly, according to a report published by Refugee Support Aegean, during 2025, at least 98 refugees went dead or missing, following 28 fatal incidents in the maritime borders, 14 of which occurred in the North Aegean, 11 in the South Aegean, and 3 near Crete. The largest number of fatal incidents was recorded in the maritime areas of Lesvos (7) and Farmakonisi (5). The fourth quarter of the year saw the highest number of incidents and victims. The shipwreck off Ierapetra, with 17 people dead and 15 missing, stands out as one of the most devastating incidents in Greek waters in recent years. Furthermore, at least 18 women and 10 children were recorded as dead or missing. On the Turkish side of the Aegean at least 53 dead and 3 missing persons in 10 incidents were documented. Overall, excluding individual bodies that could not be linked to a specific incident, at least 154 people lost their lives or remain missing in 2025 in 38 fatal incidents on both sides of the Aegean and in the wider area of Crete.[7]
In May 2026, the historical decision of A.R.E. v. Greece (Application no. 15783/21) was issued. This was the first judgement on a pushback case of an asylum seeker from Evros to Türkiye by the Greek Authorities.
On 7 January 2025, the ECtHR published its judgment in the case of A.R.E. v. Greece (Application no. 15783/21),[8] which was legally represented by lawyers of the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR).[9] This is the first case ever examined by the ECtHR in relation to a complaint of pushback in the Evros region by the Greek authorities. The decision enjoyed widespread coverage in the international[10] and Greek[11] media.
The case concerns A.R.E., a Turkish refugee, who was forced to leave her country due to political persecution and entered Greece in 2019, through the Evros region, in order to seek asylum. After being informally arrested and detained by the Greek authorities on 4 May 2019, she was pushed back to Türkiye on the same day without ever being given the opportunity to apply for asylum in Greece. After being illegally returned to Türkiye, she was arrested and detained by the Turkish authorities in the context of a political prosecution on the alleged charge of being a member of an illegal organisation in Türkiye.
A.R.E., legally represented by GCR, had filed a complaint before the Public Prosecutor of Orestiada, which was rejected at the second instance by the Prosecutor of the Appeals Court of Thrace on the grounds that there was no evidence against the police and that Greece, particularly the Greek police, never conducts pushbacks to Türkiye. Subsequently, in March 2021, GCR filed an application before the ECtHR on behalf of A.R.E., alleging violations of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The Court accepted her application as admissible and, eventually, condemned Greece.
On 4 June 2024, prior to its decision of 7 January 2025, the ECtHR held a Chamber oral hearing in the cases of G.R.J. v. Greece and A.E. v. Greece (later renamed as A.R.E. v. Greece).[12] In this exceptional procedure, the Court invited the parties of the two cases.[13] Both cases concerned the alleged “pushback” of the applicants from Greece to Türkiye without prior proceedings and the decisions was issued for both cases on 7 January 2025. The G.R.J case concerned the alleged pushback from Greece to Türkiye of an Afghan unaccompanied minor in Samos in 2020. In the G.R.J case, the Court concluded that there were strong indications to suggest that, at the time of the events alleged, a systematic practice of “pushbacks” from the Greek islands to Türkiye had existed but finds that the applicant had failed to provide prima facie evidence of his presence in Greece and of his “pushback” to Türkiye.
In the case of A.R.E. v. Greece, the Court noted that numerous official reports documented a consistent modus operandi by Greek authorities of forcibly returning migrants, particularly from the Evros region, without examining their international protection claims.[14] These reports, published by credible national and international organisations, described uniform methods involving detention, confiscation of belongings, and forced returns. Based on this evidence, the Court concluded that a systematic practice of pushbacks existed at the time of the applicant’s pushback. The Greek government failed to refute this evidence or provide an alternative explanation for the applicant’s allegations. The Court underscored that such practices do not absolve States from their obligations to assess individual cases and ensure compliance with ECHR standards.
The ECtHR noted that the Greek authorities failed to consider the risks when removing the applicant from its territory and did not provide her with the opportunity to apply for asylum and explain her circumstances. The applicant, having crossed into Greece via the Evros River, was pushed back to Türkiye without any assessment of the dangers she faced, in clear violation of domestic, European and international law. Despite the applicant’s expressed fear of persecution in Türkiye, Greek authorities ignored her asylum request, in breach of Articles 3 and 13 ECHR as they failed to assess her claims or provide an effective remedy against her expulsion. Regarding the alleged violation of Article 5(1) ECHR, the ECtHR ruled that the applicant’s detention was devoid of any legal basis under Greek law. The authorities failed to document the detention formally, did not inform the applicant of the reasons for her arrest, and provided no opportunity to challenge its legality, contrary to Article 5(2) and (4) ECHR. Regarding the lack of an effective remedy, the Court determined that Greece’s legal system failed to provide adequate mechanisms to address alleged violations of Articles 2 and 3 ECHR during the pushback. The investigation into the applicant’s criminal complaint was deemed insufficient and did not meet the effectiveness standards required under the Convention. This constituted a violation of Article 13, read in conjunction with Articles 2 and 3 of the Convention.
The ECtHR condemned Greece and accepted that:
- the “systematic practice of pushbacks by the Greek authorities of third-country nationals from the Evros region to Türkiye”,
- the pushback of A.R.E., a Turkish asylum seeker, by the Greek authorities took place,
- R.E. was illegally detained by the Greek authorities before the pushback,
- the Greek judicial authorities failed to conduct an effective criminal investigation and archived A.R.E.’s criminal complaint despite the prima facie
Therefore, the Court found violations of the European Convention on Human Rights’:
- Articles 3, 3 and 13 in relation to the pushback of the victim by the Greek authorities (prohibition of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment),
- Article 5 in relation to her unlawful detention (right to personal liberty and security),
- Article 13, in conjunction with Articles 2 and 3, in relation to the ineffective criminal investigation of the case by the Greek judiciary (right to an effective remedy).
It should be emphasised that, to date, the Greek authorities still systematically deny the practice of pushbacks at the Greek-Turkish borders and there is not any official response or reaction by the Greek Authorities since the ruling of the Court that, among others and as a result, condemns Greece for the “systematic” pushback of asylum seekers.
The Court’s Judgment confirms that pushbacks at the Greek borders constitute a “systematic practice” of the Greek authorities, as has been documented for several years in numerous reports by international, European and national organisations, as well as in the complaints of the victims of pushbacks our organisation receives on a daily basis.
On 16 January 2025, at a press conference,[15] GCR lawyers presented the key points[16] of the decision and highlighted its wider implications. This judgment, the first conviction of Greece by the ECtHR for a pushback case, is a landmark decision and brings to the fore important issues regarding the rule of law in Greece. At the press conference on 16 January 2025, the applicant’s lawyers noted:
- “This is a landmark judgment of the European Court of Human Rights. The recognition by the Court that pushbacks constitute a systematic practice of the Greek authorities is a vindication for the thousands of victims who have been denouncing this illegal practice for many years. The Greek authorities must finally stop pushbacks and the Greek judiciary must finally hold accountable those responsible for such policies and practices, which violate international and Greek law and constitute a serious blow to the rule of law in Greece.”
- “The ECtHR concludes that “the applicant’s case is merely one of many cases that demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the criminal procedure with regard to complaints of pushback”. This admission is worrying for the administration of justice in Greece and highlights the significant gaps and deficiencies in the investigation of criminal complaints concerning pushbacks by the Greek authorities. This condemnation of Greece by the ECtHR calls for a thorough and effective investigation of the relevant allegations and accountability.”
- “The Court’s decision can be the starting point for setting a limit to a practice which – as the Court found – is systematic, is illegal and puts human lives at serious risk. It is at the same time an important reminder of the obligations of the Greek authorities, and of the European States in general, towards persons seeking protection on European territory, but also a reminder of the significant inadequacy of the Greek judiciary to investigate effectively complaints of pushbacks.”
In A.R.E. v. Greece, the ECtHR, analysed the broader context in which the events of the case took place, referring to a “modus operandi”, taking into account the reports of independent bodies such as the Greek Ombudsperson and the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, and first ruled on the question of whether Greece carries out pushbacks at its land borders. Subsequently, in reviewing the evidence presented by the applicant, the Court held that this practice constituted a prima facie case, in accordance with the requirements of its case law on pushbacks, and, therefore, held that the burden of proof shifted to the Greek Government. The Court noted the Greek Government’s complete denial, not only of the alleged facts related to the pushback of the applicant but also of the applicant’s presence in Greece on May 4, 2019. Consequently, the Court condemned Greece for its violations of the provisions of Convention.
Particularly, the Court noted that the Government does not challenge the findings of the investigation report on the alleged pushback of the applicant, which was prepared by the Forensic Architecture research group and dated May 2, 2024.[17] The Court emphasised that, based on a detailed spatio-temporal analysis, this 36-page report concludes that all the audiovisual materials are authentic and verifiable, and that it is possible to establish the truth of the applicant’s account regarding her presence in Greece and the subsequent pushback on the alleged dates. In the conclusions of the decision, the Court held that the applicant provided “several pieces of evidence that could, even individually, prima facie support her version of the events. It is for the Greek authorities to prove that the applicant did not enter Greece and was not returned to Turkey on the dates she claims. However, the Government did not present any argument or other evidence to counter the prima facie case put forward by the applicant”.[18]
The decision, as the first case of a pushback from Greece, also includes multiple other important points, such as the finding that “push-backs from Greece to Türkiye, including in the Evros region, take place in conditions likely to endanger human life, since the victims are left adrift on inflatable boats”.[19]
On 1 July 2025 the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rejected the Greek Government’s request to refer the case to the Court’s Grand Chamber, thus the Judgment in A.R.E. v. Greece (no. 15783/21) has become final.[20]
Between the publication of the A.R.E. Judgment, on 7 January 2025, and 31 December 2025, the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) submitted 24 requests for interim measures (R 39) to the ECtHR, which were all granted. These concerned 131 asylum seekers (including families with children). In only four of these cases were the applicants subjected to legal procedures by the Greek authorities, while in the other cases the applicants either complain that they were subjected to a pushback operation or information on their whereabouts was lost[21].
Finally, it bears emphasising that this decision comes in response to years of statements by Greek Governments that Greece does not conduct pushbacks, merely discarding the existence of such credible allegations and report by independent organisations, taking a stance of complete denial.[22]
The Pylos shipwreck
Most of the dead or missing persons of 2023 disappeared or died on the night of 13th to 14th of June 2023. That night, the overcrowded fishing vessel “Adriana”, carrying an estimated 750 persons, capsized 47 nautical miles southwest of Pylos, Greece, in the Greek Search and Rescue (SAR) zone. The vessel left Libya and was en route to Italy. On that one night, an estimated 650 persons went missing or died in one of the deadliest shipwrecks to ever occur in Greece and in the Mediterranean. Of those on board the “Adriana”, 104 survived, 9 of whom are currently in pre-trial detention with criminal charges of smuggling,[23] and 82 bodies were recovered.[24]
On 13 September 2023, forty[25] survivors of the deadly shipwreck in Pylos filed a criminal complaint against all responsible parties before the Naval Court of Piraeus.[26] The survivors submit that the Greek authorities failed to immediately intervene and to organise a timely and adequate rescue operation despite their duty to rescue the passengers, in accordance with international law of the sea, human rights Law, EU and domestic law.[27] In particular, the plaintiffs argue that the authorities had been informed from the outset, and later ascertained themselves firsthand from close distance, of the imminent threat to life facing passengers on board the manifestly unseaworthy and overcrowded trawler. The complainants allege that the Greek authorities not only refrained from taking the necessary rescue measures as soon as the vessel was sighted, but instead proceeded to attempt to tow the vessel, which resulted in its capsizing and sinking. The Greek authorities’ delay in initiating a SAR operation, “until the moment of the shipwreck when it was no longer possible to rescue all the people on board” as well as failure to deploy sufficient resources or make use of those available to them, was also noted in a leaked serious incident report drafted by the FRONTEX Fundamental Rights Officer.[28] The complainants demand an immediate, thorough and reliable investigation and the attribution of criminal responsibility for the acts and omissions of the Greek authorities.
A number of international organisations and institutions, including the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe,[29] and the LIBE Committee of the European Parliament,[30] have urged Greece to carry out a full and effective investigation into the circumstances of the shipwreck. The deadliest shipwreck of the Mediterranean has sparked global interest[31] and the launch of a preliminary examination by the Naval Court of Piraeus.
On the 9 November 2023, the Greek Ombudsperson announced that he was opening an independent investigation into the Pylos shipwreck, a step that was welcomed by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.[32] The Ombudsperson decided to conduct the investigation, within its special competence as the National Mechanism for the Investigation of Arbitrary Incidents, following the express refusal of the Hellenic Coast Guard to pursue a disciplinary investigation.[33]
On 1 December 2023, the Fundamental Rights Office (FRO) of Frontex published its aforementioned serious incident report about the Pylos shipwreck, which concluded that “there was reasonable certainty that persons aboard Adriana were threatened by grave and imminent danger and required immediate assistance. …The Greek authorities appeared to have delayed the declaration of SAR operation until the moment of the shipwreck when it was no longer possible to rescue all the people on board, deployed insufficient and inappropriate resources considering the number of persons aboard Adriana, and failed to make use of the resources offered by Frontex. Fundamental Rights Office regrets that it was not given relevant information by the Greek authorities in response to its enquiry but expects to receive the results of two ongoing national judicial proceedings, as well as the Greek Ombudsman enquiry”. [34]
On 26 February 2024, the European Ombudsperson released her conclusions on EU search and rescue and, in particular, regarding whether FRONTEX complies with its fundamental rights obligation, notably in the context of the Pylos shipwreck. In her report, the European Ombudsperson inter alia underlines that there are growing concerns about persistent violations of fundamental rights in Greece’s border control operations, and that the investigation of the shipwreck and any assessment of the facts is severely compromised by the absence of video or other recording of the shipwreck and the following events, which raises again a pattern of inadequate handling and subsequent investigation of such incidents from the Greek authorities. Concluding, the Ombudsperson notes that “[t]he European Union projects its identity through the prism of its commitment to the rule of law and to fundamental rights. In the aftermath of the Adriana tragedy, it should take the opportunity to reinforce that identity through reflection and through actions that would, to the greatest extent possible, prevent such a tragedy from happening again”.[35] On 28 February 2024 the European Ombudsperson also stated inter alia: “The rules governing the EU’s border and coastguard agency Frontex must be urgently revised if Europe is to avoid a repeat of last year’s tragedy off the coast of Greece in which about 600 people are thought to have died, an official investigation has found”.[36]
Meanwhile, in May 2024, the Court of Kalamata dismissed the charges of migrant smuggling, causing a shipwreck, participating in a criminal organisation and of illegal entry held against the nine Egyptians survivors of the Pylos shipwreck.[37] The Court decided that Greek jurisdiction could not be established because the overcrowded trawler sank outside the country’s territorial waters. Thus, the Court dismissed the charges for the crimes of causing a shipwreck and membership of a criminal organisation and ruled that in the case of smuggling and illegal entry the legal elements were not fulfilled.[38]
In December 2024, the lawyers representing the survivors and victims of the shipwrecked fishing vessel “Adriana”, were informed that the competent Deputy Prosecutor of the Naval Court of Piraeus had completed its preliminary examination and criminal investigation into the Pylos shipwreck and had transmitted the case file to the Head Prosecutor of the Court.[39]
Upon initial review of the voluminous file, the lawyers observed significant gaps and omissions in the preliminary investigation, such as the lack of summons for written explanations of those legally responsible for the failures and omissions of the Search & Rescue Operation, namely, the competent bodies of the National Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, the Operations Centre and their hierarchical superiors, i.e., the leadership of the Coast Guard.[40] The lawyers further requested the Court, inter alia, the record of the communications of the National Search and Rescue Coordination Centre throughout the period in question, as they have not been included in the case file. The lawyers further underlined the incomplete examination of the mobile phone devices of the crew members of the Hellenic Coast Guard (HCG) patrol vessel involved in the incident (ΠΠΛΣ 920), since this examination took place without any evaluation or forensic analysis of the extracted data. The lawyers also emphasised the urgent need to lift the secrecy of telephone communications for both business and private phones of the relevant officers of the National Search and Rescue Coordination Centre and of the Operations Centre.
Therefore, on 23 December 2024, the lawyers filed a request to the competent Public Prosecutor of the Piraeus Naval Court requesting, inter alia, criminal prosecution for the shipwreck not only against the crew of the HCG patrol vessel but also against the competent executives of the National Search and Rescue Coordination Centre and the Operations Centre, and against the persons in charge of higher hierarchical or supervisory directorates and bodies, who are responsible for acts and omissions that led to the shipwreck and the death of 600 people. As a GCR lawyer of the Pylos case underlined: “It is demanded and expected a thorough investigation into the case of the Pylos shipwreck, the greatest tragedy in the Mediterranean, in which hundreds of people lost their lives, and that responsibility be assigned to all those involved”.[41]
On 3 February 2025 the Greek Ombudsperson announced, with a press release, the completion of the investigation and the relevant conclusion re. the shipwreck of Pylos.[42] The Independent Authority had decided to initiate its own investigation, within its special mandate as National Mechanism for the Investigation of Arbitrary Incidents, in relation to acts or omissions of Coastguard officers upon the Pylos shipwreck, following the express refusal of a disciplinary investigation by the Hellenic Coast Guard. The Ombudsperson pointed out the series of serious and reprehensible omissions in the search and rescue duties on the part of senior officers of the Hellenic Coast Guard, which constitute clear indications of the existence of, inter alia, offences of deadly exposure to danger, as well as exposure to endangering the life, health and physical integrity of those on board the Adriana fishing vessel. The Ombudsperson’s Report also identifies serious gaps and omissions in the case file concerning critical evidence.[43]
The Report was forwarded to the Minister of Shipping and Insular Policy for the exercise of disciplinary jurisdiction on his behalf, and to the competent Prosecuting Authority of the Piraeus Naval Court, for the evaluation of the objective and subjective substance of the relevant criminal offences. The Ombudsperson Mr. Andreas Pottakis stated that:
For the Independent Authority, the transparency of administrative action and the attribution of responsibilities, where they exist, for the deadly shipwreck of Pylos is an elementary legal demand, inextricably linked to respect for the rule of law, as is the thorough investigation by the administration of any other incident associated with a violation of the right to life, health and physical integrity. The Ombudsman recalled the principles of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which, in the case of the Farmakonisi shipwreck, noted that the authorities “did not take, within the limits of their powers, the measures that could reasonably be considered capable of preventing the danger”. The primary issue in a search and rescue operation, according to the ECtHR, is whether the authorities’ efforts were “sufficiently and appropriately focused on the lives” of the persons involved.[44]
On 4 February 2025, following the Ombudsperson’s Press Release, the Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy published an Announcement[45] regarding the Press Release of the Ombudsperson, stating, inter alia: ‘The Report objectively attempts to shift the discussion from the criminal networks of smugglers to the members of the Coast Guard, who are fighting day and night to protect the country […].’
On 19 February 2025, following the Ministry’s announcement, the Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR), the independent advisory body to the Greek State, published a statement on the need to respect the constitutionally enshrined supervisory role of the independent authorities stating inter alia:
[…] the Greek National Commission for Human Rights expresses its deep concern regarding the Announcement of the Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy of 4.2.2025, which treats the investigation of the Independent Authority of the Ombudsman regarding the Pylos shipwreck as politically motivated, ignoring its institutional role as the National Mechanism for the Investigation of Arbitrary Acts. In an extremely disturbing way, the Announcement also raises issues of questioning the legitimacy of the investigation due to the expiry of the term of office of the Ombudsman, in direct contradiction to what is stated in Article 101A of the Constitution (“the term of office of the members of independent authorities shall be extended until the appointment of new members”). This attack on an Independent Authority, and indeed on grounds relating to the exercise of its powers as provided for by the Constitution and the law, is a direct challenge to the institutional role which the Constitution itself guarantees for the Independent Authorities […].[46]
On 8 February 2025, the association of employees of the Ombudsperson’s Office, in reaction to the Ministry’s announcement, condemned[47] the attacks of the Ministry on the independent authority due to the Ombudsperson’s report on the Pylos shipwreck, calling it an institutional undermining and an attempt to devalue the authority’s work. Furthermore, following the Ministry’s announcement, there also were strong reactions from opposition parties, the press and civil society organisations,[48] which, inter alia, referred to unacceptable political interference by the Ministry in the work of the independent authority, an attempt to publicly discredit it and how the constitutionally guaranteed independent authorities are a pillar of the democratic constitutional order and guarantees of fundamental rights, while any attack on them constitutes a challenge to democracy.
In May 2025, the lawyers representing the survivors and victims of the Pylos shipwreck[49] were:
[..] informed of the completion of the preliminary investigation conducted by the competent Deputy Prosecutor of the Piraeus Naval Court, and the criminal prosecution and referral to main investigation on felony charges against 17 members of the Hellenic Coast Guard, including senior officers of its leadership. Specifically: A criminal prosecution has been initiated and they have been referred for main investigation by the competent Prosecutor of the Naval Court for the following felony offenses:
- The captain of the Hellenic Coast Guard vessel (ΠΠΛΣ 920), who was involved in the shipwreck off Pylos on 13-14/6/2023, on the charge of:
- a) causing a shipwreck that could have endangered human life and resulted to the death of a big number of individuals (at least 82) [Article 277 para. 1 (b) and (d) of the Penal Code]
- b) Dangerous interference of maritime transport by disrupting the safe navigation of vessels, which could have endangered human life and resulted to the death of others (at least 82) (Article 291 para. 1 (f), (bb), and (dd) of the Penal Code).
- c) Failure to provide assistance by the captain of a vessel (Article 122 of the Naval Penal Code).
2.The crew of the HCG vessel (ΠΠΛΣ 920), on the charge of simple complicity in the aforementioned acts (a) and (b) committed by the captain.
3.Furthermore, all of the above, as well as the then-Chief of the Hellenic Coast Guard, the Supervisor of the National Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, and the two Navigation Safety Officers on duty that day, on the charges of exposing others to danger, despite their legal obligation to rescue them, thereby leaving them in a helpless state, resulting to the death of at least 82 individuals (Article 306 para. 1, 2(b) of the Penal Code).
According to the Order of the same competent Prosecutor, criminal prosecution was not initiated, and the case was archived with respect to four other officers of the Hellenic Coast Guard, despite their presence in the operations room and their strategic involvement in the handling of the incident, as the Prosecutor deemed them not legally competent at that time regarding the responsibility for the operation and actions of the National Search and Rescue Coordination Centre. The lawyers representing the survivors and victims of the Pylos shipwreck […]” have already filed appeals “[…] before the Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals against the Prosecutor’s Order that archived the case with respect to the four officers, requesting the initiation of criminal prosecution against them as well, as they were involved in the handling of the incident on behalf of the competent bodies of the Hellenic Coast Guard – whose responsibilities had also been highlighted by the Ombudsman’s investigation report – including the current Chief of the Hellenic Coast Guard […].
In November 2025, the Prosecutor of the Court of Appeal accepted the appeals and criminal proceedings were brought against all four senior officers of the Coast Guard, including its chief at the time. According to the order “[…] the four (4) officers […] actively participated in the management of the incident, as they were constantly and personally informed of its progress, participated in meetings to assess and plan the necessary actions, and ultimately approved (as they themselves admit) the decisions that were taken, each of them having [….] an independent legal duty to protect life at sea and, by extension, a specific legal obligation to rescue (given that they agreed to or at least shared the specific decisions that were taken), and any deviation or failure to fulfill this obligation establishes their independent criminal liability […], while, in other words, “[…] they should have realized, based on their experience, their role, their specialized knowledge, and the information available to them, that this was a vessel in distress, they failed to take the necessary and prescribed actions to classify the vessel as a vessel in distress and activate the prescribed and appropriate operational plans [such as, indicatively, Memoranda/Action Cards No. 1 ‘Vessel in Distress (Regardless of Flag) within Greek SRR’ and No. 13 ‘Major Incident’, etc.] for the rescue of those on board the vessel [….]”[50]
The main investigation before the Piraeus Naval Court is still pending.
Developments on investigating and reporting pushbacks
The Greek Authorities consistently deny all pushback allegations,[51] which to a certain extent may also explain the lack of any effective investigation into such allegations.
In its aforementioned landmark judgment in the case of A.R.E. v. Greece,[52] the ECtHR held that:
[f]urther to the foregoing and with regard to the criminal proceedings referred to by the Government, the Court notes that it is very clear from the case-file, and in particular from the information provided by the Government itself, that all the cases in which the competent public prosecutors had opened criminal investigations were discontinued […]. As a result, none of these cases progressed beyond the preliminary investigation stage and, consequently, no proceedings were brought against those who might have been responsible. In the light of the very large number of complaints lodged and the reports of the competent national and international institutions, which point to recurrent shortcomings that hamper the effectiveness and diligence of the criminal investigations into the alleged refoulements […] the Court considers that this situation is such as to cast serious doubt on the effectiveness of the criminal proceedings […] It therefore considers that, in the present state of national practice, a criminal complaint does not constitute a remedy to be exhausted in respect of violations of Articles 2, 3 or 5 of the Convention allegedly committed in the course of refoulement.
This conclusion summarises the situation of the ongoing or conducted criminal investigations in Greece for allegations connected to pushbacks.
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) noted, in its recent 2024 Report on Greece, that “[t]he Greek authorities have continued to maintain that violent forcible informal removals from Greece to Türkiye do not occur”.[53] This is also one of the challenges identified by the FRONTEX Fundamental Rights Officer (FRO), who underlined “[n]ational authorities denying by default in any involvement in fundamental rights violations and being reluctant to investigate or follow up on cases”.[54]
Illustratively, in its September 2023 report to the UN Human Rights Committee for the examination of Greece’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Greek Government categorically dismissed the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants’ references to Greece’s pushback practices,[55] stating that they “do not correspond to the real situation”.[56]
In 2024, the Greek delegation to the Human Rights Committee further held that:
[p]ushbacks were not the policy of the Greek Government in any way, shape, or form; the Government policy was clear. Actions taken by Hellenic authorities at the sea borders were carried out in full compliance with international obligations. Allegations on so-called pushbacks were not compatible with the well-established operations of the Hellenic authorities. However, any allegations of pushbacks or mistreatment of third country nationals were thoroughly investigated. From 2015 to the present, the Hellenic coast guards had rescued more than 254,000 people. Several mechanisms allowed complaints against pushbacks to be submitted to the Hellenic authorities, and the coast guards had a robust disciplinary mechanism, The State had made all the progress it could considering the difficult region. Legislation protected everyone, including human rights defenders. Alleged “smear campaigns” needed to be examined by the courts; they could not always be presumed.[57]
The Greek Government has also remained opposed to the development of an independent border monitoring mechanism and has referred since 2022 to the National Transparency Authority (NTA) as the body responsible, amongst others, for the investigation of pushback allegations.[58] The NTA has been criticised for lacking expertise to investigate pushbacks and for failing to act as an independent body, as it does not comply with the constitutional prerequisites for safeguarding the independence of such authorities.[59]
On 31 July 2023, the NTA published its annual report for 2022 which, as noted by the NTA, “provides objective and comprehensive information on all the activities of the Authority, which were carried out during 2022, as well as the actions included in its operational planning for the following year”. [60] In the Greek version of the report, the NTA notes that, in 2022, it received a total of 2,694 general complaints, 167 of which were forwarded to other audit services (mainly to the “AADE” and the Internal Affairs Service of the Security Services) due to lack of jurisdiction.[61] This annual report does not mention any activity related to investigation on a complaint concerning pushbacks nor of any public service/authority against which allegations of being engaged in pushback operations has arisen in recent years.
On 6 September 2024, the NTA published its annual report for year 2023.[62] Apart from a reference to 8 audits carried out in Non-Governmental Organisations registered in the Registry of the Ministry of Immigration & Asylum, there is only one general reference that: ‘[…] NTA carried out audits and investigations on: […] – Residence permits – refoulements […]’. Furthermore, in the Greek version of the report, under the sub-title “Migration” it is only mentioned that a specialised control mechanism for migration flows has been developed in the context of which ‘the investigation and evaluation of 194 reports and publications concerning incidents that allegedly took place in the context of the management of migration flows and the country’s borders by the competent institutions was completed. The inspection and investigation reports are confidential with a confidential annex attached and include personal data, which are protected by the provisions of national and EU data protection legislation. The above reports have been communicated to the relevant national and international judicial authorities, as appropriate’. No other information is provided e.g. as to the nature of the complaints, the status of the complainants and the denounced persons, or the status and/or outcome of the reported communications to the judicial authorities.
The ECtHR’s judgement of 7 January 2025, in its A.R.E. v. Greece case,[63] challenged the Government’s claims that it does not carry out pushbacks and questioned the credibility of the NTA’s investigations. The Court explicitly notes that, on the contrary, reports from fully independent and credible authorities, such as the National Commission for Human Rights and the Ombudsperson, which provide credible and serious evidence that systematic pushbacks are taking place, must be taken into account in pushback complaints. On the same day, ruling on the G.R.J case which concerned pushback allegations from the island of Samos to Türkiye, the Court also concluded that there were strong indications to suggest that a systematic practice of “pushbacks” from the Greek islands to Türkiye had existed. The Court however could not find a violation of the Convention as it considered that the applicant had failed to provide prima facie evidence of his individual claim.[64] It bears emphasising that the Court did not take into account any of the NTA’ findings, not only because the Greek government failed to address the applicant’s lawyers’ arguments to that end, but also because the Court considers that a complaint before the NTA is not considered as an effective remedy.[65]
In July 2022, a Fundamental Rights Officer (FRO) and a Special Committee on Fundamental Rights Compliance (Task Force for Fundamental Rights Compliance) was appointed within the Ministry of Migration and Asylum,[66] and, in September 2023, the FRO activated an online complaint platform.[67] According to the platform’s instructions, the complaints must be submitted with a name and in writing by the victim-third country national, in Greek or English, and only about incidents that were not brought before judicial or prosecuting authorities.
On 10 January 2025, the FRO published its first report,[68] covering the period between September 2023 and December 2024. In the report, the FRO noted that from the start date of the Complaints Mechanism on 26.09.2023 until 31.12.2024, a total of one hundred nineteen (119) complaints had been submitted to the Mechanism. Of these, twenty-seven (27) were submitted between 26.09.2023 and 31.12.2023, while the remaining ninety-two (92) were submitted within the year 2024. Ten of these complaints (nine related to reception conditions and one related to international protection procedures) were forwarded or partly forwarded to the competent authorities (General Secretariat of Reception of Asylum seekers of the Ministry, NTA and Asylum Service) while nine others since 2023 appeared to be ending at a preliminary stage. The rest of the complaints were dismissed. The report does not mention how many complaints were specifically submitted concerning pushback allegations nor does it specify how many complaints were dismissed as inadmissible and what violation they alleged.
The one complaint that was forwarded to the NTA merely refers to “unofficial detention”. Except from the numbers and statistics, the report does not present preliminary findings, nor details the number of cases in which the FRO requested additional information from the complainants or in which the latter were called for a hearing or even information on the measures taken by the FRO to ensure an effective investigation of the complaints. Approximately 90% of the complaints have been dismissed as inadmissible and not further forwarded (87% in 2023 and 93% in2024), as the online platform and the complainant form continues to be only in Greek and English.
In 2023, the Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR) published a report on its Recording Mechanism of Informal Forced Returns, which had been launched in early 2022,[69] and to which ten civil society organisations are participating,[70] including GCR. The Mechanism initially recorded at least 50 incidents and 58 testimonies of informal forced returns which, according to testimonies of the alleged victims, occurred between April 2020 and October 2022. The total number of alleged victims in the report was approximately 2,157 third country nationals, including asylum applicants and recognised refugees in Greece. In December 2023, the “Recording Mechanism” published a follow-up report[71] to the Interim Report of the Recording Mechanism of January 2023. In the period between February 2022 and December 2022, the Recording Mechanism had recorded testimonies through personal interviews with 43 alleged victims about 50 incidents of illegal forced returns. The countries of origin of the alleged victims are listed among the countries with high recognition rates for international protection status in Greece and the EU (Syria, Palestine, Türkiye, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Cameroon, Mali and Democratic Republic of Congo). The majority of the alleged victims are unregistered asylum seekers who reported that their personal data had never been recorded by the Greek Authorities and that they were informally and forcibly returned to Türkiye. The report also flags the cases of six Turkish nationals unregistered asylum seekers politically persecuted in Türkiye, who were directly pushed back to their country of origin without any assessment of their international protection needs. According to the GNCHR, “[t]hese incidents constitute a direct violation of the principle of non-refoulement, which is the cornerstone of international protection of asylum seekers and refugees”.[72] In the same report, and among the 43 alleged victims, five were already asylum applicants in Greece and five were recognised refugees in Greece. The latter five alleged victims were deprived of their international protection status, already granted to them by the Greek State.
In 2024, the GNCHR published a new report covering the period from January to December 2023.[73] In this period, the Recording Mechanism recorded testimonies related to approximately 45 informal forced return incidents (IFR), which had reportedly occurred between January 2022 and December 2023, through personal interviews with 37 alleged victims. According to the testimonies, the 45 IFR incidents involved a minimum of 1.438 persons, including at least 158 women, 190 children and 41 persons having special needs, such as persons with medical conditions, elderly people and people with disabilities. The countries of origin of the alleged victims are countries whose nationals are granted international protection status in Greece and the rest of the EU at significant rates (Syria, Palestine, Türkiye, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Cameroon, Mali and Democratic Republic of Congo). Upon an invitation to that end by the ECtHR, the GNCHR submitted a third-party intervention in the cases of G.R.J v. Greece and A.E. v. Greece,[74] in which the Commission referred to the abovementioned findings.
Throughout 2024, the Mechanism received testimonies of alleged victims of pushback operations at land and sea borders, and the Full Report was published in July 2025. According to the report’s findings, cases continued to refer to persons of certain nationalities having a very high recognition rate of international protection in Greece (as highlighted in the previous report). According to the conclusions from the 45 recorded alleged victims, 27 were men and 18 women, 44 were adults and 1 was a minor at the time of the interview. It is of particular importance the finding that 24 out of the 45 alleged victims fall into categories of vulnerability. (9 victims of torture, 7 victims of sexual violence, 7 victims of other serious physical or psychological violence, 6 single-parent families, as well as persons with serious health problems, mental illnesses, pregnancy or disability): “This finding confirms that physical removal practices disproportionately affect people with a particular need for protection and enhanced safeguards. It is noteworthy that 40 out of the 45 persons stated that they were never subjected to any official procedure of registration or identification by the Greek authorities, despite their detection, a fact which constitutes a serious indication of violation of Greece’s obligations under national, Union and international law, and in particular of the safeguards arising from the right of access to the asylum procedure”.[75]
The Greek Ombudsperson, after taking under consideration the number of reported pushback incidents between 2017 and March 2024, the relevant complaints submitted to its own office and the findings of its own investigations in his capacity as National Mechanism for the Investigation of Arbitrary Incidents regarding law enforcement officers, concluded that “the persistent reluctance on the part of the disciplinary bodies of the enforcement agencies to investigate such incidents” and “the recurrent shortcomings impeding the effectiveness and diligence of the few investigations launched”, suggest that […] “unlawful pushbacks at land and sea borders present features that do not correspond or correlate to an isolated phenomenon”.[76]
The CPT of the Council of Europe has repeatedly underlined over the previous years that it receives “consistent and credible allegations” of pushbacks.[77] In the recent CPT Report on its ad hoc visit to Greece, which took place from 21 November to 1 December 2023, published on 12 July 2024,[78] the CPT underlines that “ […] there is sufficient evidence to conclude that pushbacks to Türkiye have taken place and continue to take place […]”. “During the 2023 visit, the CPT delegation again received many consistent and credible allegations of informal, often violent, forcible removals of foreign nationals across the Evros river or at sea to Türkiye. Such removals occurred without consideration of their individual circumstances, vulnerabilities, protection needs or risk of ill-treatment when returned (“pushbacks”)”.
In an August 2023 press release, a group of experts of the U.N. Human Rights Council stated that: “We urge Greece to take steps to ensure a transparent and impartial investigation into allegations of violations of the principles of non-refoulement and non-discrimination and of the right to life involving Greek law enforcement personnel, including the Hellenic Coast Guard, and border violence.”[79]
In July 2023, the FRONTEX FRO issued a fourth opinion concluding that “collective expulsions at sea and land borders in Greece, accompanied by additional associated fundamental rights violations, are conducted systematically rather than constituting isolated incidents”.[80] In this context, the FRO reiterated its recommendation to the FRONTEX Executive Director to trigger the mechanism to suspend or terminate FRONTEX activities in Greece, in whole or in part, unless major changes are made.[81]
In 2024, the practice of refoulements continued to be used as a “front-line” tool of Greece’s migration policy, which has been described as a “de facto general policy” of “pushbacks at land and sea border” by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Migrants, as previously noted in a 2022 report,[82] to halt the flow of refugees and to deter others from attempting to irregularly cross the borders into the country. The practice is a permanent eventuality for people crossing the borders according to testimonies, media coverage and reports. Serious incidents of alleged refoulements have been reported in which arbitrary removal of people residing on the mainland or on the islands were carried out, even of a number of asylum applicants that have been already registered in the country.
In September 2024, GCR submitted its written contribution to the UN Human Rights Committee,[83] in which it provided the main points and reports concerning pushback practices, practices at the borders and ineffective investigations in pushback complaints. In November 2024, GCR submitted a third-party intervention to the ECtHR in the case of Muhammad v. Greece,[84] in which it pointed to the credible, consistent and numerous allegations of pushback practices at the Greek-Turkish land and sea borders and that all related domestic criminal cases “shelved”/closed at the pre-trial stage.
In June 2025, GCR submitted its written contribution to the Report on externalization of migration and the impact on the human rights of migrants of the UN Special Rapporteur for the 80th session of the General Assembly,[85] providing information on push backs as an informal practise of externalization in Greece. Among others, GCR highlighted the Commissioner for Human Rights Memorandum on migration and border control, adopted following his visit to Greece in February 2025, noting that the Greek General Prosecutor’s categorical denial of systematic practices of summary returns from Greece, contradicts the judgments of the ECtHR.[86] By early April 2025, it was also reported that the Fundamental Rights Office of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) was investigating twelve (12) cases of alleged human rights violations at the borders by the Greek Authorities, amongst which two (2) cases regarded incidents reported during 2025, nine (9) regarded incidents reported in 2024, and the last (1) regarded 2023.[87]
Pushbacks at land borders
In relation to pushbacks at land borders,[88] the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants already noted in 2021 that, in addition to ‘increased militarisation of the Evros land border … which has effectively resulted in preventing entry and in the summary and collective expulsion of tens of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers’, there have been allegations that ‘pushbacks are also reportedly carried out from urban areas, including reception and detention centres’.[89] In a report issued in April 2022, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants stated that ‘[i]n Greece, pushbacks at land and sea borders have become de facto general policy’.[90] According to the abovementioned ECtHR’s findings in its January 2025 A.R.E. v. Greece judgement as well as numerous credible reports, this “systematic practice” continued in 2024.
On 21 February 2022, UNHCR expressed its concerns regarding recurrent and consistent reports from Greece’s land and sea borders with Türkiye. At least three people had already been reported to have died since September 2021 in the Aegean Sea, including one in January 2022, while almost 540 reported incidents of informal returns by Greece had been recorded since the beginning of 2020.[91] The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has also been alarmed by increasing migrant deaths and continuous reports of pushbacks at the border between Greece and Türkiye.[92] Regarding pushbacks at the Evros land border, a June 2022 journalistic investigation reported that the Greek police were using foreigners as “slaves” to forcibly return asylum seekers to Türkiye.[93]
In Greece, many legal practitioners, included GCR, have resorted to litigating cases directly before the ECtHR or UN Committees, due to the ineffective procedure in domestic courts. As per a Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN) report, the policy of pushbacks seems ‘to have contaminated the judiciary’.[94] The majority of investigations connected to pushbacks have been closed by public prosecutors invoking lack of evidence. Many of these cases have been referred to the ECtHR as domestic remedies were ineffective.[95] This legal reality was acknowledged by the ECtHR in its abovementioned A.R.E. v. Greece judgment of 7 January 2025,[96] in which the Court considered the relevant Greek criminal procedures as ineffective in cases concerning pushback allegations, as none of these cases progressed beyond the preliminary investigation stage and, consequently, no proceedings were brought against those who might have been responsible. The Court therefore held that “in the present state of national practice, a criminal complaint does not constitute a remedy to be exhausted in respect of violations of Articles 2, 3 or 5 of the Convention allegedly committed in the course of refoulement”.[97]
Additionally, from March 2022 to December 2025, GCR supported 1,257 individuals at risk of pushback and/or victims of multiple pushbacks before the ECtHR by submitting 121 applications for interim measures under Rule 39, which have all been granted.[98] In only 29 out of these 121 cases were the asylum seekers formally arrested by the Greek authorities and the official procedure followed. In the majority of cases, the applicants or their relatives described to GCR that they have been victims of one or multiple pushback operations.
Despite the measures granted by the Court, the majority of the victims allege that they were still subsequently pushed back to Türkiye. This highlights the frequency and periodicity of pushback cases and the clear persistence of what has been refered to as Greece’s “de facto general policy” of pushbacks by the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants.[99]
Illustratively, the 24 cases (for the year 2025) included the cases of:
- 18 Syrian applicants, amongst whom 13 children, who were allegedly pushed back twice after the interim measures had been adopted, some of whom complaint they were subsequently returned to Syria, were they remained in danger as Alawites.
- At least 22 Turkish applicants, some of whom were subsequently imprisoned in Türkiye, due to their political persecution.
- At least 2 cases of applicants who, following their pushbacks, were deported from Türkiye to their country of origin (Syrians and Egyptians).
In the time period between the publication of the A.R.E. decision, on 7 January 2025 and and 31 December 2025, GCR submitted 24 requests for interim measures (Rule 39) to the ECtHR, all of which were granted. These concerned 131 asylum seekers (including families with children), of whom 28 were from Türkiye, 27 from Syria, 22 from Afghanistan, 19 from Palestine, 10 from Iran, 8 from Iraq, 7 from Egypt, 1 from Mauritania and 1 stateless person. In only four of these cases were the applicants subjected to legal procedures by the Greek authorities, while in the other cases either the applicants complain that they were subjected to a pushback operation or information on their whereabouts was lost.[100]
On 15 January 2025, Forensic Architectures (FA) published the result of its investigative research on the situation at the Evros river.[101] FA noted that:
‘the river is a hotspot for illegal crossings of refugees and migrants into Europe, as well as a laboratory for border defence technologies at the continent’s frontier. Meanwhile, the course of the river has changed over the century. … Within that space, migrants and refugees are hunted, detained, tortured, ‘pushed back’ across the river by border guards, or abandoned on islets for days, even weeks. A military buffer zone, dotted with guard stations, watchtowers and fences, runs along both banks of the river, excluding monitors, researchers, and medical professionals. Survivors of ‘pushbacks’ describe having their phones, documents, and possessions confiscated and often thrown into the river, ensuring that little documentation of this lethal border zone escapes to the outside world”.[102] In this context, as FA explains, “since early 2020, more than sixty groups of asylum seekers that attempted to cross into Greece found themselves stranded on islets in the middle of the river. These groups were either led there by smugglers or border guards from the Turkish side of the river, or forced there by Greek authorities during pushbacks. In both cases, the islets are used as spaces where asylum seekers are abandoned for weeks on end, often without clothes, food or water, so that either littoral authority can deny responsibility for their reception and rescue. Fatalities from lack of access to food, water and medical care, insect and snake bites, hypothermia, drowning, or injuries are a common outcome of this practice.’
As FA explain, the scope of this platform is meant as a useful counter-cartographic tool at the hands of asylum seekers, activists, humanitarian workers and researchers in their pursuit of accountability for ongoing border crimes, and in their efforts to support stranded groups in the region. Finally, the platform includes various data in an interactive map, such as the stranding of people on the move, the maps and aerial graphics from five different periods, infrastructures (Border Guard Stations, Watchtowers, Surveillance Antennas) and the changes in the landscape after the wildfires of August 2023 in Evros.
Pushbacks at sea
On 7 January 2025, the ECtHR published its judgment in the case of the G.R.J. v. Greece.[103] The case concerned the alleged pushback of an Afghan unaccompanied minor from the Greek island of Samos to Türkiye in 2020. In its judgement, the Court concluded that “there were strong indications to suggest that, at the time of the events alleged, a systematic practice of “pushbacks” from the Greek islands to Türkiye had existed.”[104] However, the applicant had failed to provide prima facie evidence of his presence in Greece and of his personal “pushback” to Türkiye from the island of Samos on the alleged dates. Therefore, the Court underlined that the existence of a systematic practice of pushbacks does not exempt an applicant from the obligation to provide prima facie evidence to substantiate his or her allegations.
In July 2022, the ECtHR issued its long-awaited landmark judgment in the case of Safi and others v. Greece (also known as the “Farmakonisi case”),[105] which was supported by GCR, Refugee Support Aegean with the support of Pro Asyl, the Network of Social Support of Refugees and Immigrants, the Lawyers’ Group for the rights of Refugees and Immigrants and the Hellenic League for Human Rights. The case concerned the sinking of a fishing boat transporting 27 foreign nationals in the Aegean Sea in January 2014 off the island of Farmakonisi, resulting in the death of 11 people. According to the allegations of the applicants, the coastguard vessel was towing the fishing boat at very high speed in order to push the refugees back towards Turkish water, which caused the fishing boat to capsize, which the Greek Authorities denies. The Strasbourg Court found a violation of the right to life, both due to the authorities’ failure to investigate such a significant case responsibly and effectively, and on account of actions that they should and could have taken to protect human lives and prevent the tragic incident. The Court also held that Coast Guard officers had inflicted degrading and inhuman treatment against shipwreck survivors that night. The judgment of ECtHR ‘vindicates the victims by awarding compensation from the Greek State and brings to light an issue systematically concealed in public discourse: push backs and systematic deterrence practices which put lives at risk on a daily basis in Evros and the Aegean’.[106]
In October 2025, the ECtHR delivered a further landmark judgment in the case of F.M. v. Greece, which was represented by RSA, condemning Greece for a violation of Article 2 of the ECHR (right to life). The case concerned the 2018 Agathonisi shipwreck, which resulted in the drowning of sixteen refugees. The Court found that the Greek Coast Guard failed to carry out an adequate search and rescue operation, despite being promptly and repeatedly provided with the boat’s precise coordinates by a relative on Samos island, leaving passengers unassisted at sea for hours. Furthermore, the ECtHR found the state’s subsequent criminal investigation to have been ineffective and structurally non-independent, noting that the inquiry was conducted by bodies with clear hierarchical and institutional links to the suspects, ignoring critical voice message evidence, and featuring severely deficient forensic reports before being improperly shelved by the Piraeus Naval Court Prosecutor.[107]
In May 2026, the Prosecutor of the Court of Appeal upheld an appeal lodged by the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) against the dismissal of a criminal complaint concerning an October 2023 incident, where a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel rammed a boat carrying Syrian and Iranian refugees off Chios, resulting in one death and multiple serious injuries. Overturning the Naval Court Prosecutor’s decision and rejecting the Coast Guard’s official narrative, the Prosecutor of the Court of Appeal found “reasonable suspicions” that the vessel’s commander intentionally rammed the refugees’ boat while foreseeing and accepting the potential for death or grievous bodily harm. As a result, the Prosecutor of the Naval Court of Piraeus was ordered to initiate criminal prosecutions against the commander for homicide with eventual intent (dolus eventualis), grievous bodily harm, and multiple counts of dangerous bodily harm. As noted by GCR’s lawyers, “this case presents similar characteristics to the more recent case involving the ramming of a refugee boat off Chios in February 2026, which resulted in 15 deaths and many injuries, and for which an investigation into alleged criminal acts by the Coast Guard is ongoing”.[108]
In January 2025, Aegean Boat Report (ABR) published its annual report covering the year 2024,[109] according to which 1,639 boats carrying 48,761 people arrived on the Greek islands in 2024. According to the same report, in 2024, 2,367 boats carrying 62,924 people were stopped by the Turkish Coast Guard and Police. According to ABR:[110]
‘[i]n 2024, Boats arriving has increased 13% compared to 2023, when 1.451 boats arrived, carrying 38.993 people. 14.482 people has been illegally pushed back by Greek authorities”. ABR further states that “in 2024, Aegean Boat Report have registered 508 pushback cases in the Aegean Sea, involving 14.482 children, women and men who tried to reach safety in Europe. 40.6%, 5.882 people, had already arrived on Greek territory, arrested, forced back to sea and left drifting in life rafts, illegally deported by the Hellenic Coast Guard(HCG), on orders from the Greek government, so far there has been no reaction from the EU on these illegal actions. 21.5% of all boats/rafts picked up by Turkish coast guard in 2024 had been pushed back by Greek authorities.’
The annual report for 2025 is still pending. Nonetheless, Aegean Boat Report published in December 2025 a monthly report according to which the total number of arrivals until the end of December 2025 was forming as follows: “In 2025 990 boats have been stopped on their way towards Greece, 25.060 people have been arrested. Boats arriving on the Greek island has been reduced due to the Greek governments pushback tactics, on Greek islands and at sea, boats picked up by TCG has increased for the same reason”.[111]
On 19 May 2023, the New York Times (NYT) published video footages of an alleged pushback from the island of Lesvos, which allegedly took place in the midday hours of 11 April 2023.[112] Amongst others, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, in an interview,[113] stated that “[w]hat seems to be in these videos is a deportation”, adding that she had no reason to doubt the footage obtained by the New York Times and called on the Greek authorities to conduct a full and independent investigation into the reported incident. The Greek Prime Minister, in an interview to CNN,[114] had committed to investigating the incident, describing it as an “completely unacceptable practice”. The NTA appears[115] to have been requested by the European Commissioner to activate an investigation into the incident, despite the NTA having repeatedly been criticised for its ineffectiveness in investigating similar incidents. On 21 June 2023, in response to this EU call to the NTA, 21 civil society organisations issued a Joint NGO statement in which they clearly state that there is “[n]o monitoring of fundamental rights violations in Greece without independent and effective mechanisms”.[116] On 27 July 2023, in a joint submission to the Prosecutors of the Piraeus Naval Court, the First Instance Court of Mytilene and the Supreme Court Prosecutor, 28 civil society organisations called[117] for an effective investigation into potential criminal acts committed in relation to the aforementioned New York Times-released footages. As far as GCR is aware, there has been no update on any criminal investigation allegedly being conducted by the domestic court on this case.[118]
In November 2023, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) published a report,[119] which “calls on the Greek authorities to investigate reports of hundreds of missing migrants and allegations of people being threatened, abducted, and ill-treated”. MSF based its report on the testimonies of 56 patients and information gathered between August 2021 and July 2023 on Lesbos[120] and Samos. MSF are also reporting that “Since we started providing emergency medical assistance to people arriving by boat to Lesbos in June 2022, we have been unable to find approximately 940 people who were never found at the reported location”.[121] MSF calls for a permanent end to pushbacks at borders, for an independent monitoring system to be set up on the Aegean islands, and for search and rescue operations to be stepped up at sea.[122]
On 16 January 2024, the ECtHR issued a decision and a press release with the title “When firing several times at a motorboat transporting individuals illegally towards Greece, coastguards used force that was not “absolutely necessary” within the meaning of Article 2 of the Convention”.[123] The case concerned a serious gunshot wound sustained by a member of the applicants’ family on 22 September 2014 near the island of Pserimos, when a vessel was intercepted transporting people illegally to Greece. Under the procedural aspect of Article 2, the Court noted that there had been numerous shortcomings in the investigation conducted by the national authorities; this had led, in particular, to the loss of evidence, and had affected the adequacy of the investigation.[124] Among other things, it had been impossible to determine whether or not the use of potentially fatal force was justified in the particular circumstances of the case. Under the substantive aspect of Article 2, the Court noted, firstly, that the respondent State had not complied with its obligation to introduce an adequate legislative framework governing the use of potentially lethal force in the area of maritime surveillance operations. It then considered that the coastguards, who could have presumed that the boat being monitored was transporting passengers, had not exercised the necessary vigilance in minimising any risk to life. The coastguards had thus used excessive force in the context of unclear regulations on the use of firearms. The Court considered that the Government had not demonstrated that the use of force had been “absolutely necessary” within the meaning of paragraph 2 of Article 2 of the Convention.
GCR represents survivors in two other pushback cases, which occurred after the individuals had already landed on the islands Lesvos and Kos. The first one concerns the case of a group of asylum applicants, who were pushed back to Türkiye upon their landing on Lesvos island and after entering a government-run quarantine facility for refugees in Megala Therma in February 2021. In both cases, the victims of the violent pushback operations – some of them in the first case – managed to re-enter Greece in 2022 and subsequently, filed an official complaint before the Public Prosecutor.[125] The criminal investigation about the alleged incident in Megala Therma reached an end and GCR submitted a full application before the ECtHR in December 2023. The second case is still pending before the competent public prosecutors and concerns the kidnapping and illegal forced return/pushback of two recognised refugees from Greece who were legally residing in the Eastern Aegean Island of Kos.
Criminalisation of Human Rights Defenders (HRD) and organisations denouncing/reporting pushbacks
In May 2022, it was reported that four organisations were under criminal investigation for potential involvement with smuggling networks, because they notified the authorities about the location of newly arrived migrants and requested that they be provided with assistance and access to asylum procedures in Greece.[126] Since then , no investigations has taken place as of December 2025 but it created an increasingly hostile environment in the field of HRDs’ work in Greece and a widespread fear of criminalisation.[127]
Subsequently, on 29 July 2023, two more NGOs operating in Lesvos were targeted in a Greek Police press release.[128] The press release, entitled “Finding the action of an organized criminal network, consisting of two (2) criminal organizations, whose members were systematically active in facilitating the illegal entry of foreigners into the Greek territory through the island of Lesvos”,[129] targeted NGOs which were going to arrival locations of third country nationals with the “pretext of providing them with humanitarian-medical assistance”.[130] Similar to the above, the police statement triggered new smear campaigns against HRD.[131] To date (June 2025), almost two years later, no individual and member of an NGO acting on Lesvos has been prosecuted for any facts related to these statements.
In June 2022, the UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, carried out an official country visit to Greece from 13 to 22 June 2022 following an invitation from the Greek government. In her statement on preliminary observations, she noted that:
‘the nature of cooperation between the Government and civil society, and the overall perception about the role of civil society and human rights defenders in Greece, has undergone a significant shift since 2019. Since then, human rights defenders have found it increasingly difficult to carry out their work, especially in fields that might be considered controversial or geopolitically complicated or sensitive. This is particularly tangible in relation to those who defend the rights of asylum seekers, migrants and refugees, including those providing humanitarian assistance, legal aid, participating in search and rescue operations and documenting pushbacks. While previously human rights defenders in these areas had enjoyed an overall conducive environment for carrying out their activities, the current policy framework, that emphasises ‘security’ over humanitarian assistance, has led to a number of constraints’; ‘[A] sense of pervasive fear […] is felt by a significant segment of human rights defenders, which seems to be a direct result of the criminalisation of migration and their legitimate, peaceful work for the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants’.
As highlighted by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, ‘human rights defenders promoting and protecting the rights of migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees, including human rights lawyers, humanitarian workers, volunteers and journalists, have been subjected to smear campaigns, a changing regulatory environment, threats and attacks and the misuse of criminal law against them to a shocking degree’’.[132]
The Campaign for Access to Asylum,[133] in an announcement on 5 October 2022, underlined that:
The authorities’ systematic use of misinformation regarding “false reports on pushbacks” aims to cover up illegal practices and to target and put pressure on people and organisations that report these incidents’ and added that ‘…The incident in Evros highlighted the problem of pushbacks in a multitude of ways. Systematic propaganda and misinformation about these practices, which often result in the loss of human lives, is aimed at concealing the truth, obscuring the consequences (deaths, drownings, violence, etc.) and, of course, at targeting lawyers, organisations, as well as media and journalists who report these incidents.
Later, in January 2023, regarding charges against 24 human rights defenders who were helping to rescue migrants in distress at sea off Lesvos Island, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants stated that: ‘[t]rials like this are deeply concerning because they criminalise life-saving work and set a dangerous precedent. Indeed, there has already been a chilling effect, with human rights defenders and humanitarian organisations forced to halt their human rights work in Greece and other EU countries’.[134] On 13 January 2023, the espionage charges were dropped by the Court.[135] On 30 January 2024,[136] in a new trial, the accused were found not guilty on the misdemeanours and the criminal proceedings for the felonies remain pending.
In April 2024, the Judicial Council of the Misdemeanour Court of Mitilini issued a decision to drop criminal charges against 35 international aid workers who had been prosecuted for alleged espionage and facilitating the illegal entry of migrants and not to proceed to trial.[137] The Judicial Council dismissed the prosecutor’s allegations and ruled there was insufficient proof to pursue the case against the 35 individuals, mostly German nationals, stating that “[t]here is not enough evidence to support the accusations against the defendants.”[138]
On 4 December 2025, 24 human rights defenders appeared before the Mytilene Court of Appeals, on the island of Lesvos, seven years after their initial arrests facing felony charges of ‘membership of a criminal organisation’, ‘facilitation of the entry of third country nationals into the country’, and ‘money laundering’. The charges stem from work carried out by the defenders in Greece between 2016 and 2018, where they assisted people on the move whose lives were at risk while trying to reach safety to the island of Lesvos.[139] Following hearings in early 2026, all human rights defenders were acquitted on 15 January 2026, giving an end to one of the most well-known cases of criminalisation of life saving work.[140]
Since 2022, persecutions of activists working with migrants continue in 2024, notably against the founders of the Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM)[141] and of the Aegean Boat Report (ABR), who were both subject to investigations and charged by Greek judicial authorities on the island of Kos for ‘forming or joining for profit and by profession, a criminal organisation with the purpose of facilitating the entry and stay of third country nationals into Greek territory.”[142] On 2nd June 2023, the Asylum Campaign requested in a press release to stop a) the prosecution of those persons and organisations operating in the context of their role as human rights defenders, against violations even by state authorities and institutions, b) the systematic propaganda and disinformation against persons and organisations that provide protection to asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable persons in general, c) To promote the investigation of all complaints that have been brought to the attention of the competent authorities and concern incidents of illegal redeployments and c) to stop the phenomenon of violations of fundamental human rights that are systematically carried out at the borders of Greece, as well as Europe. The criminal case against HRDs Panayote Dimitras and ABR’s founder Tommy Olsen for exposing violations at Greece’s borders, remained pending,[143] with Dimitras still under a travel ban. In May, Dimitras and his wife were questioned in a separate investigation into alleged financial misconduct following a 2023 asset freeze.[144]
Since 2021 three criminal investigations have been initiated against Samos lawyer Mr Choulis, Head of the organisation Human Rights Legal Project, in relation to smuggling charges. In 2024 the first two were archived for lack of sufficient evidence and the third is still pending.
On 11 September 2023, the Athens Bar Association published its interpretation of the Greek Code of lawyers on legal aid provision to newly arrived third-country nationals (TCN) who seek asylum in Greece. The Association states that:[145]
- “According to the Code, lawyers are public officials and collaborators of the judiciary who defend fundamental rights, comply with the rules of ethics and maintain confidentiality for the benefit of their clients”.
- “The lawyers may provide legal assistance to irregularly arriving TCNs to initiate asylum applications. The possibility to apply for asylum cannot be exercised if TCNs do not have the necessary legal assistance during which they can communicate freely and appoint the lawyer as their representative”.
- “Migrants often request lawyers not to disclose their location to the authorities as they fear being returned to their countries. In such cases, insofar as they have assumed the responsibility to provide legal assistance, lawyers are bound by their duty of confidentiality even if they have not yet met the TCN in person. In such cases, they cannot be considered as assisting in the unlawful entry of TCNs as lawyers retain the freedom to handle cases without being identified with their clients and their files and may not be subjected to instructions incompatible with the nature of their work”.
The Athens Bar Association concludes that it is not allowed to search on physical or digital files of the lawyers or of the phone communications between lawyers and the illegally-entering third country nationals, if those are necessary to fulfil their order under the scope of practising their profession as lawyers.
In April 2024, as HRW notes,[146] the Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR) “warned of a pervasive climate of fear for migrant rights defenders, driven by smear campaigns, harassment, and threats of prosecution for providing humanitarian aid”.
More specifically, in a 22 April 2024 statement,[147] the GNCHR refers to a session of its committees, during which they held a working meeting with journalists and human rights defenders covering refugee/migration issues. “The participants initially reported that in recent years, in the course of their profession and while covering refugee/migration issues, they have faced difficulties in accessing information and sources due to the refusal of ministries to provide data, often citing privacy or confidentiality reasons. Similarly, they do not have free access to the refugee population hosted in reception and accommodation facilities. The National Commission, among others, is emphasizing once again the “watchdog” role of the media and the fact that their presence is a guarantee for ensuring the accountability of authorities. Additionally, journalists covering refugee issues often face abusive lawsuits (SLAPPs) in the course of their profession, and they are frequently subjected to verbal attacks or hate speech from official state entities or private individuals, with the tolerance of state authorities. Finally, the case of a journalist who was placed under surveillance was mentioned by the National Intelligence Service, due to what is stated, as a result of his journalistic involvement with refugee issues”. The GNCHR, in its statement which was also communicated for information to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Supreme Court, urgently calls on the State:
- to show zero tolerance for phenomena of harassment, attacks, hate speech, and any other targeting of human rights defenders by official state authorities, adopting a coherent policy to prevent them
- Ensure a favourable environment (enabling environment) through the legal framework for the functioning of civil society organisations and other human rights defenders, taking due account of the repeated recommendations of international and European bodies.
- Refrain from prosecuting organisations or other categories of human rights defenders for providing humanitarian aid to third-country nationals or for exercising their profession (e.g., lawyers, journalists). For those already facing criminal proceedings, ensure their rights and a swift trial in accordance with the guarantees of Article 6 of the ECHR. Specifically, for lawyers, harmonise their treatment by the relevant state authorities in accordance with the recommendations of the Athens Bar Association. It is noted that the abuse of criminal proceedings constitutes an impermissible measure for “limiting” the activities of civil society organisations. State sanctions of a criminal or civil nature, which have a punitive character and aim to discourage individuals from participating in associations (freedom of association), constitute reprisals and are prohibited.
- Ensure the unhindered exercise of journalistic duties and take protective and compensatory measures for victims of “strategic lawsuits against public participation” (SLAPPs), in the context of the relevant European Commission Recommendation. Public officials must refrain from initiating such lawsuits.
During 2025, the GNCHR, jointly with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), expressed their “serious concern about the escalation of negative rhetoric and the increasingly hostile climate developing against refugees, migrants and the civil society organisations that support them”. They further highlighted the particular concern raised by “public statements, initiatives or informal leaks that stigmatise civil society actors or propose the imposition of punitive measures against organisations that may express different views or seek judicial protection on behalf of those they represent”.[148]
A draft law of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum on the promotion of policies on legal migration, which was released for public consultation on 30 December 2025 – submitted to Parliament on 23 January 2026 – includes a series of provisions[149] hampering the operation of civil society organisations and pave the way for the criminalisation of humanitarian action.[150]
According to the Draft Articles 15 and 16 of the draft law introduce, for the first time, the status of membership in a civil society organization (NGO) registered with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum is introduced as an aggravating circumstance for a range of offenses related to the broad and vague concept of “aiding and abetting” and, at the same time, offenses that under the current legal framework were classified as misdemeanors are being reclassified as felonies and punished with multi-year prison sentences. Among other things, Article 15 stipulates that mere membership in a NGO registered in the Registry of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum is sufficient to elevate the misdemeanors provided for in Article 24 of Law 5038/2023 (facilitating entry, facilitating illegal residence, refusal to surrender a travel document, etc.), to felonies for which severe prison sentences and fines are prescribed (‘imprisonment of up to ten (10) years and a fine of at least twenty thousand (20,000) euros’). Furthermore, the mere initiation of criminal proceedings is sufficient to remove the organization from the Registry of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Similarly, in the case of a residence permit holder, the mere initiation of criminal proceedings is sufficient to revoke the residence permit. Article 16 provides that membership in a civil society organization constitutes an aggravating circumstance in relation to the offense of trafficking under Article 25 of Law 5038/2023.[151]
Legal access to the territory (beyond family reunification)
Legal gateways to enter Greece are not provided to persons in need of international protection, nor does Greece issue visas on humanitarian grounds. The only exception was in 2021, when Greece accepted 819 Afghan nationals due to ‘the country’s commitment to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghan nationals in danger’ following the Taliban’s arrival to power.[152]
[1] MoMA, Statistics: Consolidated Reports – Overview, December 2025 – International Protection | Appendix A, available at: https://migration.gov.gr/statistika/, Table 1.
[2] UNCHR, Operational Data Portal, Mediterranean Situation: Greece, available at: https://bit.ly/3WubNsb
[3] UNHCR, Operational Data Portal, Greece, Sea Arrivals Dashboard December 2025 available at: https://bit.ly/3WubNsb
[4] UNCHR, Operational Data Portal, Mediterranean Situation: Greece, available at: https://bit.ly/3WubNsb
[5] See also GCR, GCR’s Information Note on interventions and on interim measures granted by the ECtHR in cases regarding pushbacks, 12 January 2026 update, available at: https://tinyurl.com/24yr7rae.
[6] UNCHR, Operational Data Portal, Mediterranean Situation: Greece, available at: https://bit.ly/3WubNsb.
[7] Refugee Support Aegean “At least 98 refugees dead or missing at Greece’s maritime borders in 2025: 28 fatal incidents, including 16 shipwrecks”, 16 March 2026, available at: https://tinyurl.com/3amhkzsm.
[8] ECtHR, A.R.E. v. Greece (Application no. 15783/21), 7 January 2025, available in French here.
[9] ECtHR Press Release, “Pushback” of Turkish national to Türkiye without examining risks she faced on her return was in breach of Convention, 7 January 2025, available here ; GCR Press Release, ECtHR Judgment v. Greece – Greece condemned for the first time by the European Court of Human Rights for a pushback in Evros, 7 January 2025, available here. See also, Video of the Press conference held by GCR, 16 January 2024, available here.
[10] See, illustratively, The Guardian, Strasbourg court finds Greece guilty of ‘systematic’ pushback of asylum seekers – In ‘potentially trailblazing’ decision, European court of human rights finds country engaging in illicit deportations, 7 January 2025, available here ; ; Euronews, European Court rules Greece illegally deported migrant in landmark case, 7 January 2025, available here ; Associated Press, European court rules against Greece over migrant’s illegal deportation, calls practice ‘systematic’, 7 January 2025, available here ; Sûddeutsche Zeitung, Griechenland muss Schmerzensgeld an „Pushback“-Opfer zahlen, 7 January 2025, available in German here ; Tagesschau, Pushbacks in Griechenland – System statt Einzelfälle, 7 January 2025, available in German here ; Sigrid Rausing Trust, European Court of Human Rights finds Greece responsible for systematic pushbacks of asylum-seekers, 16 January 2025, available here ; Infomigrant, La Grèce condamnée par la Cour européenne des droits de l’Homme pour un refoulement illegal, 8 January 2025 available in French here ; LeMonde, La Grèce condamnée par la Cour européenne des droits de l’homme pour le refoulement vers la Turquie d’une demandeuse d’asile, 7 janvier 2025, available in French here ; Open democracy, Turkish pushback survivor wins landmark case against Greece, 13 January 2025, available here.
[11] To VIMA, European Court of Human Rights Rules Against Greece for Pushbacks, 7 January 2025, available here ; H Kathimerini, Μεταναστευτικό: Καταδίκη της Ελλάδας για επαναπροώθηση – Η Ελλάδα καλείται να καταβάλει αποζημίωση σε μία υπήκοο Τουρκίας, 8 January 2025, available in Greek here ; H Kathimerini, ECHR’s pushback ruling shadows Migration Commissioner’s Athens visit, 10 January 2025 available here ; EONOS, ΕΔΑΔ: Έκρινε ένοχη την Ελλάδα για pushbacks αιτούντων άσυλο στον Έβρο, 8 January 2025, available in Greek here ; LIFO, Ευρωπαϊκό Δικαστήριο Ανθρωπίνων Δικαιωμάτων: Ένοχη η Ελλάδα για τις επαναπροωθήσεις στη Μεσόγειο – Το Ευρωπαϊκό Δικαστήριο Ανθρωπίνων Δικαιωμάτων έκρινε ότι η Ελλάδα απέλασε παράνομα γυναίκα τον Μάιο του 2019 και ότι διενεργούσε «συστηματικά» pushbacks, 7 January 2025, available in Greek here ; Omnia tv, Πρώτη καταδίκη της Ελλάδας στο Ευρωπαϊκό Δικαστήριο για επαναπροώθηση (pushback) το 2019, 7 January 2025, available in Greek here ; Ta Nea, Κόλαφος από την ΕΕ για τα pushbacks στον Εβρο – Το Ευρωπαϊκό Δικαστήριο Δικαιωμάτων του Ανθρώπου καταδίκασε την Ελλάδα, καθώς έκρινε ότι η χώρα μας απέλασε παράνομα γυναίκα στην Τουρκία, 8 January 2025, available in Greek here ; EFSYN, Ιστορική απόφαση για τις επαναπροωθήσεις ντροπής, 17 January 2025, available in Greek here ; IN.GR, ΕΔΔΑ: Παράνομη η απέλαση μετανάστριας από την Ελλάδα – «Συστηματική πρακτική επαναπροώθησης από τις αρχές» Σημαντική απόφαση από το Ευρωπαϊκό Δικαστήριο Ανθρωπίνων Δικαιωμάτων (ΕΔΔΑ), που χαρακτηρίζει «συστηματικές» τις επαναπροωθήσεις από την Ελλάδα, 7 January 2025, available in Greek here.
[12] ECtHR, G.R.J. v. Greece and A.E. v. Greece, application numbers 15067/21 and 15783/21, respectively.
[13] IN:GR, Chamber hearing in the cases G.R.J. v. Greece and A.E. v. Greece, Press Release by the ECtHR, 4 June 2024, available here.
[14] ECRE, Weekly Update: Mediterranean, 16 January 2025, available here.
[15] Video of the Press conference held by the GCR, 16 January 2024, available here.
[16] Greek Council for Refugees, Information Note with key points of the Judgment in English , available here.
[17] ECtHR, A.R.E. v. Greece (Application no. 15783/21), 7 January 2025, para. 256, available in French here.
[18] ECtHR, A.R.E. v. Greece (Application no. 15783/21), 7 January 2025, para. 265, available in French here.
[19] ECtHR, A.R.E. v. Greece (Application no. 15783/21), 7 January 2025, para. 296: “[…] The Court notes in this regard that the relevant documentation shows that push-backs from Greece to Türkiye, including in the Evros region, take place in conditions likely to endanger human life, since the victims are left adrift on inflatable boats. In addition, push-backs follow a fairly uniform modus operandi including in particular, the confiscation of the victims’ personal belongings and, sometimes, threats, humiliation and acts of physical violence”, available in French here.
[20] Greek Council for Refugees, Press Release – ECtHR : The Court rejects the Greek Government’s request for a review of the pushback case A.R.E. v. Greece, 2 July 2025, available here.
[21] Greek Council for Refugees, GCR’s Information Note on interventions and on interim measures granted by the ECtHR in cases regarding pushbacks, updated on 12 January 2026, available at: https://tinyurl.com/36kbkk4f.
[22] More information and sources are provided below, see “Developments on investigating and reporting pushbacks”.
[23] AlJazeera, Egyptians accused in Pylos shipwreck case deny smuggling, blame Greece, Months after the tragic disaster that killed hundreds at sea, nine accused men languishing in prison insist they are innocent, 12 February 2024, available here.
[24] FRONTEX, Final Serious Incident (Si) Report, Sir 12595/2023, 1 December 2023, available here.
[25] To date, 62 survivors in total have filed 6 criminal complaints and 2 relatives have filed 1 criminal complaint.
[26] GCR et al., Joint Press Release, 40 survivors of the Pylos shipwreck file a criminal complaint before the Naval Court of Piraeus, 14 September 2023, available here.
[27] Ibid., “The survivors, represented by the Network for Refugee and Migrant Rights, the Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), the Initiative of Lawyers and Jurists for the shipwreck of Pylos, and Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), denounce a series of violations of the Greek authorities’ obligations to protect the lives of those on board and demand an effective investigation into the circumstances of the deadliest shipwreck to occur in the Mediterranean in recent years”.
[28] FRONTEX, Final Serious Incident (Si) Report, Sir 12595/2023, 1 December 2023, available here, p.16. The document is inter alia refered to in EfSyn, Hot document by FRONTEX burns the Greek authorities on the Pylos shipwreck, 1 February 2024, available in Greek here.
[29] Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Pylos shipwreck: the Greek authorities must ensure that effective investigations are conducted, 28 July 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/43QaAPQ.
[30] LIBE Committee of the European Parliament, Exchange of views on the migrant boat shipwreck off the coast of Greece: extracts, 6 July 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3xozQQZ.
[31] Indicatively: Reuters, Greece scours shipwreck site; hundreds feared drowned in boat’s hold, 16 June 2023 available at: https://bit.ly/3VPiNSa, AP, Independent inquiry launched into shipwreck off Greece that left hundreds of migrants feared dead, 9 November 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/4cMkKFe.
[32] Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Greece: the Ombudsman institution opening an independent investigation into the Pylos shipwreck is a welcome step, 9 November 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/4cGVDmZ.
[33] The Greek Ombudsperson, Press Release, The Greek Ombudsman investigates the Pylos shipwreck case: “[a]n independent investigation is initiated by the Greek Ombudsman on the Pylos shipwreck incident. The Ombudsman Mr. Andreas Pottakis addressed two letters to the Commandant of the Hellenic Coastguard requesting a thorough internal investigation on any acts or omissions by Coastguard officers in connection to the tragic incident of 14.06.2023. Following the expressed denial of the Coastguard to initiate a disciplinary investigation, the Independent Authority decided to initiate its own investigation, in its special mandate as National Mechanism for the Investigation of Arbitrary Incidents in relation to acts or omissions of Coastguard officers upon the Pylos shipwreck. The Ombudsman considers that absolute transparency on administrative actions taken by competent officials concerning this tragic incident where many lives were lost is an elementary Rule of Law command”, 9 November 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/4aIVlKI.
[34] FRO Frontex, Final Serious Incident Report, SIR 12595/2023, 1 December 2023, p. 16, available at: https://bit.ly/3xjxX7Y.
[35] Conclusions of the European Ombudsman on EU search and rescue following her inquiry into how the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) complies with its fundamental rights obligations in the context of its maritime surveillance activities, in particular the Adriana shipwreck, 26 February 2024, available at: https://tinyurl.com/38mukedp. For more information, see inter alia, RSA, The European Ombudsman on the Pylos shipwreck, 1 March 2024, available at: https://tinyurl.com/3jrxnpwu
[36] The Guardian, ‘Watchdog urges EU rescue rules change after migrant boat disaster off Greece’, 28 February 2024, available here.
[37] Aljazeera, Greece court dismisses charges against nine Egyptians over Pylos shipwreck, 21 May 2024, available here.
[38] Legal Center Lesvos, Press Release, 21 May 2024, available here.
[39] RSA et al, Joint Press Release, Closure of the preliminary investigation by the prosecution of the Piraeus Maritime Court on the Pylos shipwreck – The absence of any investigation into the responsibilities of the competent search and rescue bodies and the leadership of the Greek Coast Guard is deafening, 23 December 2024, available here.
[40] Ibid.
[41] Press article published on the Ethnos newspaper website on 18 January 2025, available here.
[42] The Greek Ombudsperson, Press Release, ‘Report of the Ombudsman on the Pylos shipwreck’, 3 February 2025, available in Greek here.
[43] Greek Council for Refugees et al, Joint Press Release, ‘Scathing report by the Greek Ombudsman on the Pylos shipwreck’, 6 February 2025, available here.
[44] The Greek Ombudsperson, Press Release, ‘Report of the Ombudsman on the Pylos shipwreck’, 3 February 2025, available in Greek here.
[45] Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy, ‘Announcement of the Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy regarding the Press Release of the Ombudsman’, 4 February 2025, available in Greek here.
[46] Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR), Statement on the need to respect the constitutionally enshrined supervisory role of the Independent Authorities, 19 February 2025, available in Greek here.
[47] News 24/7, website Press Article, Ombudsman: “Orchestrated attack” after the conclusion on the Pylos shipwreck, 8 February 2025, available in Greek here.
[48] TVXS, ‘Shipwreck in Pylos / Nervousness in the government by the conclusion of the Ombudsman – “Raises the tones” the opposition’, 4 February 2025, available in Greek here; ERTNEWS, ‘SYRIZA: Unacceptable the attack of the Ministry of Shipping against the Ombudsman – Citizens are entitled to the truth about the tragedy of Pylos’, 4 February 2025, available in Greek here; H ΑΥΓΗ, ‘Shipwreck in Pylos / Unprecedented attack by the government on the Ombudsman after the conclusion – “fire”’, 4 February 2025, available in Greek here; The Press Project, ‘Attack of the Ministry of Shipping to the Ombudsman for the conclusion on Pylos – Full coverage of the responsibilities of the Coast Guard’, 4 February 2025, available in Greek here; Hellenic League for Human Rights, ‘The attack on the Independent Authorities is a Questioning of Democracy’, 11 February 2025, available in Greek here; Greek Council for Refugees et al, Joint Press Release, ‘Scathing report by the Greek Ombudsman on the Pylos shipwreck’, 6 February 2025, available here.
[49] Greek Council for Refugees et al, Joint Press Release, ‘Shipwreck off Pylos: criminal prosecution for felonies against 17 members of the hellenic coast guard, including senior officers of its leadership’, 23 May 2025, available here.
[50] Greek Council for Refugees et al, Joint Press Release, “Pylos shipwreck: Criminal prosecution on felony charges against the current head of the Coast Guard and senior members of its leadership “ 23 May 2025, available https://tinyurl.com/3kpkd98t
[51] See for example Council of Europe, Commissioner for Human Rights, Letter to the Minister for Citizens’ Protection of Greece, the Minister of Migration and Asylum of Greece and the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy of Greece, 3-5-2021, CommHR/DM/sf 019-2021, “I am deeply concerned that the official reaction of the Greek authorities has often been to simply dismiss allegations of pushbacks despite the overwhelming body of evidence that has been presented in recent years”, available here.
[52] ECtHR, A.R.E. v. Greece (Application no. 15783/21), 7 January 2025, para. 198, available in French here.
[53] CPT, Report to the Greek Government on the visit to Greece carried out by the [CPT] from 20 November to 1 December 2023, CPT/Inf (2024) 21, p. 5, available here.
[54] FRONTEX, The Funamental Rights Officer Annual Report 2022, p. 28, July 2023, available here.
[55] See, UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, Human rights violations at international borders: trends, prevention and accountability, A/HRC/50/31, 26 April 2022, para. 32: “in Greece, pushbacks at land and sea borders have become de facto general policy”, available here.
[56] UN Human Rights Committee, Third period report submitted by Greece under article 40 of the Covenant pursuant to the optional reporting procedure, 13 September 2023, CCPR/C/GRC/3, para. 158, “[r]eports indicating that the practice of so-called ‘pushbacks’ ‘has been established as the de facto border policy’ do not correspond to the real situation”, available here.
[57] Un Human Rights Committee, Experts of the Human Rights Committee Commend Greece on Measures Taken for Unaccompanied Minors, Raise Questions on Domestic Violence and Allegations of Border Pushbacks, 22 October 2024, available here.
[58] GCR, Greek Council for Refugees input for the forthcoming report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants with respect to human rights violations at international borders: trends, prevention and accountability, 28 February 2022, p. 5 and footnotes 29 and 30, available at: https://bit.ly/3oleekc.
[59] For more information about the Greek NTA, see AIDA, Country report: Greece, 2023 Update, p. 36, June 2024 available here. See, also, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Statement on preliminary observations and recommendations following official visit to Greece, 22 June 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3q1bwAZ. See also UNHCR, OHCHR, ENNHRI, Ten points to guide the establishment of an independent and effective national border monitoring mechanism in Greece, 9 September 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/3MjauaM: ‘Ensure that those entrusted with monitoring fundamental rights at borders have thorough institutional experience in international human rights law, EU fundamental rights law and in fundamental rights as guaranteed by the Greek Constitution and national legislation as well as on evolving international, European and national case law interpreting such law. Institutional experience in asylum, border management and return as well as practical experience in human rights monitoring and in working with law enforcement actors are additional assets which facilitate a successful functioning of the monitoring mechanism.’
[60] NTA, 2022 Annual Report, 31 July 2023, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/3TNGjMN, and English at: https://bit.ly/4amDMAl.
[61] Ibid., pp 43-44.
[62] NTA, 2023 Annual Report, 15 January 2025, available in English here and in Greek here.
[63] ECtHR, A.R.E. v. Greece (Application no. 15783/21), 7 January 2025, available in French here.
[64] ECtHR, G.R.J. v. Greece (Application no. 15067/21), available here.
[65] ECtHR, A.R.E. v. Greece (Application no. 15783/21), paras 200 and 228, 7 January 2025, available here.
[66] AIDA, Country report: Greece, 2023 Update, p. 37, June 2024 available here.
[67] The complaint form is available at: https://bit.ly/3VLxbL8.
[68] Ministry of Asylum and Migration, FRO report, Το Υπουργείο Μετανάστευσης και Ασύλου ενισχύει τη διαφάνεια και την προστασία των θεμελιωδών δικαιωμάτων, 10 January 2025, available in Greek here.
[69] GNCHR, Recording Mechanism of Informal Forced Returns, Interim Report, January 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3IUTyH5.
[70] Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), Network for Children’s Rights, Medical Intervention, METAdrasi – ACTION FOR MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Transgender Support Association, RSA, HIAS Greece, Legal Centre Lesvos, Danish Refugee Council Greece (DRC). See https://bit.ly/3Ix1jTl.
[71] GNCHR, Full Annual Report of 2022, published in December 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3PSoOtv.
[72] Ibid. page 5 of the report
[73] All reports of the Recording Mechanism of Informal Forced Returns of the Greek National Commission for Human Rights available here.
[74] GNCHR, Written submission to the European Court of Human Rights (Third Section) made by the Greek National Commission for Human Rights as a third party, in relation to Applications nos. 15067/21 – G.R.J. v. Greece, and 15783/21 – A.E. v. Greece, 28 March 2024, available in English here. See, esp., paras 13-33.
[75] All reports of the Recording Mechanism of Informal Forced Returns of the Greek National Commission for Human Rights available here.
[76] Greek Ombudsperson, Third party intervention before the European Court of Human Rights in the cases G.R.J. v. Greece and A.E. v. Greece (applications nos. 15067/21 and 15783/21), p.11, 14 March 2024, available here.
[77] See CPT, Report to the Greek Government on the visit to Greece carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 10 to 19 April 2018, CPT/Inf (2019) 4, 19 February 2019, paras. 136 seq. and Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Report to the Greek Government on the visit to Greece carried out by the CPT from 13 to 17 March 2020, CPT/Inf (2020) 35, 19 November 2020, paras. 53 seq.
[78] CPT, Report to the Greek Government on the visit to Greece carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 21 November to 1 December 2023, published on 12 July 2024 available here.
[79] UN Human Rights Council, Press release: Greece: UN experts call for safe, impartial border policies and practices, 23 August 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/4aIAtTW.
[80] FRONTEX, Fundamental Rights Officer, ANNUAL REPORT 2023, July 2024, p. 12, available here.
[81] Pursuant to Article 46 (4) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1896 read as follows: “The executive director shall, after consulting the fundamental rights officer and informing the Member State concerned, withdraw the financing for any activity by the Agency, or suspend or terminate any activity by the Agency, in whole or in part, if he or she considers that there are violations of fundamental rights or international protection obligations related to the activity concerned that are of a serious nature or are likely to persist”.
[82] Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Felipe González Morales, Human rights violations at international borders: trends, prevention and accountability, 26 April 2022, para.32, available at: https://bit.ly/3VNoYpV.
[83] GCR, Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee, Greece’s State Party Report, 142nd Session, 14 October – 7 November 2024, September 2024, available here.
[84] GCR, Third Party Intervention before the European Court of Human Rights in the case Muhammad v. Greece, Application no. 34331/22, available here.
[85] GCR, GCR’s Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur’s on the human rights of migrants Report on the externalization of migration and the impact on the human rights of migrants, 10/06/2025 available here
[86] Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Memorandum on migration and border control, following the Commissioner’s visit to Greece from 3 to 7 February 2025, https://tinyurl.com/5ekra3j2
[87] Reuters, EU border agency reviewing 12 cases of potential rights violations by Greece, 8 April 2025, https://tinyurl.com/mwve7a7y
[88] ECRE, Greece: MEPs Confront Commission Officials over Pushbacks, People on the Move Again Caught in the Stand-off with Turkiye in the Evros Region, 9 June 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3qqFSgk.
[89] Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Report on means to address the human rights impact of pushbacks of migrants on land and sea, 12 May 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/3WvA94I, para. 55.
[90] United Nations, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, Felipe González Morales, Human rights violations at international borders: trends, prevention and accountability, A/HRC/50/31, available at: https://bit.ly/4eHO68L, para 32.
[91] UNHCR, News Comment: UNHCR warns of increasing violence and human rights violations at European borders, 21 February 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/43jYnkL.
[92] IOM, IOM Concerned about Increasing Deaths on Greece-Türkiye Border, 18 February 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3MlQtjS.
[93] ‘…The Greek police are using foreigners as ‘slaves’ to forcibly return asylum seekers to Türkiye, In recent years there have been numerous accounts from the victims, as well as reports by human rights organisations and the media, stating that the men driving these boats speak Arabic or Farsi, indicating they are not from Greece. A months-long joint investigation with The Guardian, Le Monde, Der Spiegel and ARD Report München has for the first time identified six of these men – who call themselves slaves– interviewed them and located the police stations where they were held. Some of the slaves, who are kept locked up between operations, were forcibly recruited themselves after crossing the border but others were lured there by smugglers working with a gangmaster who is hosted in a container located in the carpark of a Greek police station. In return for their ‘work’ they received papers allowing them to stay in Greece for 25 days’. See Der Spiegel, ‘Greek Police Coerce Refugees to Commit Illegal Pushbacks’, 30 June 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3IvTGfB and Lighthouse reports, We were slaves, 28 June 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3MTla1G.
[94] BVMN, BlackBook of Pushbacks, December 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3ou1EPJ, 14.
[95] Ibid.
[96] ECtHR, A.R.E. v. Greece (Application no. 15783/21), paras 200 and 228, 7 January 2025, available in French here, paras and 199. Unofficial translation to English: “198. Further to the foregoing and with regard to the criminal proceedings referred to by the Government, the Court notes that it is very clear from the case-file, and in particular from the information provided by the Government itself, that all the cases in which the competent public prosecutors had opened criminal investigations were discontinued […]. As a result, none of these cases progressed beyond the preliminary investigation stage and, consequently, no proceedings were brought against those who might have been responsible. In the light of the very large number of complaints lodged and the reports of the competent national and international institutions, which point to recurrent shortcomings that hamper the effectiveness and diligence of the criminal investigations into the alleged refoulements […] the Court considers that this situation is such as to cast serious doubt on the effectiveness of the criminal proceedings […] It therefore considers that, in the present state of national practice, a criminal complaint does not constitute a remedy to be exhausted in respect of violations of Articles 2, 3 or 5 of the Convention allegedly committed in the course of refoulement.
199. Moreover, the Court notes that the criminal complaint lodged by the applicant in the present case was dismissed by the Public Prosecutor of the Thrace Court of Appeal by order no. 41/2020, in which he held, inter alia, that “the Greek police never carry out such acts of refoulement to Türkiye” (see paragraph 48 above). Above all, the Court notes that the criminal complaint was closed after a preliminary investigation which was manifestly inadequate. Indeed, it is clear from the file that the authorities took no steps to allow the applicant’s brother to testify, despite requests to do so, or to verify the authenticity of the audiovisual material submitted to them. Nor did they take the time to carry out a serious examination of the other documents in the file, such as the documents from the Turkish judicial authorities or the statements of the witnesses named by the applicant, […] The Court concludes that the applicant’s case is only one of many examples of the ineffectiveness of the criminal proceedings in relation to the allegations of refoulement””.
[97] Ibid., para 198.
[98] GCR, GCR’s Information Note on interventions and on interim measures granted by the ECtHR in cases regarding pushbacks Updated on the 12 January 2026, available at: https://tinyurl.com/36kbkk4f.
[99] Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Report on means to address the human rights impact of pushbacks of migrants on land and sea, 12 May 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/3WvA94I, para. 55.
[100] Greek Council for Refugees, GCR’s Information Note on interventions and on interim measures granted by the ECtHR in cases regarding pushbacks, updated on the 12th of January 2026, available at: https://tinyurl.com/36kbkk4f.
[101] Forensic Architecture, The Evros/Meric River: A century of border design, 15 January 2025, available here.
[102] Ibid.
[103] ECtHR, G.R.J. v. Greece (Application no. 15067/21), available at: https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/fre?i=001-240283.
[104] ECtHR, G.R.J. v. Greece (Application no. 15067/21), paras 190 and 225, available at: https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/fre?i=001-240283. Unofficial translation to English “190. Having regard to the significant number, variety and concordance of the relevant sources, the Court concludes that there are strong indications to suggest that, at the time of the events alleged, there was a systematic practice of “pushbacks” of third-country nationals, by the Greek authorities, from the greek islands to Türkiye […] 225. The Court recalls that there are serious indications that, at the material time of the alleged facts, there was a systematic practice of refoulement from the Greek islands to Türkiye”.
[105] ECtHR, Safi and others v. Greece, application no 5418/15, 7 July 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/45oTicG
[106] Press Conference: Judgement from the European Court of Human Rights in Safi and Others v Greece (Farmakonisi), Written on 07/07/2022 with a short summary of the case, available at: https://bit.ly/3OzXBfA and GCR, Vindication by the ECHR for Farmakonisi: Press conference on Monday, 11 July 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3q61nmD.
[107] RSA, ‘BREAKING – Justice Delivered: ECtHR condemns Greece for the 2018 Agathonisi refugee shipwreck’, 14 October 2025, available at: https://tinyurl.com/4mbkr639.
[108] GCR, ‘Order to initiate criminal prosecution for homicide with eventual intent against the commander of a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel’, 20 May 2026, available at: https://tinyurl.com/h8rurhkj.
[109] Aegean Boat Report, Annual Report 2024, available here.
[110] Ibid.
[111] Aegean Boat Report, Monthly Report December 2025. All reports available here
[112] The New York Times, ‘Greece Says It Doesn’t Ditch Migrants at Sea. It Was Caught in the Act.’, 19 May 2023, available here.
[113] POLITICO, EU’s Johansson slams Greece over “deportation” of migrants”, 24 May 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3TSJ1k1.
[114] Greek Government, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ interview on CNN, with journalist Christiane Amanpour, 23 May 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/43PTTDQ.
[115] Kathimerini, Μεταναστευτικό: Ερευνα από την Εθνική Αρχή Διαφάνειας για το βίντεο από τη Λέσβο, 25 May 2023, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/3xExAF6.
[116] Amnesty Internaitonal, Joint NGO Statement: No monitoring of fundamental rights violations in Greece without independent and effective mechanisms 21 June 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3vJolmI.
[117] GCR, Intervention of 28 organisations to competent Prosecutors on the pushback incident published by the New York Times, 27 july 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3xqRLq1.
[118] GCR, Third Party Intervention submitted on 14 September 2024 before the ECtHR regarding the case Muhammad v. Greece, Application no. 34331/22, available here, pp 7-8.
[119] MSF, Pushbacks, detention and violence towards migrants on Lesbos, 9 November 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/4aNY9WY.
[120] See also, Reuters, Asylum-seekers in Greece face violence, pushbacks -aid group MSF, 2 November 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3xrHkme.
[121] Ibid.
[122] Ibid.
[123] ECtHR, Application No. 3566/16, Alkatib and others v. Greece, 16 January 2024, available in French at: https://bit.ly/3PV48RU. See also the ECtHR Press Release of 16 January 2024, available at: https://bit.ly/43OWz4T.
[124] Ibid.
[125] For more details on the cases, See GCR, at Europe’s Borders: Between Impunity and Criminalization, March 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3opKToW.
[126] Among others, News.IT, Evros: Investigation into the activities of NGOs and their connection with illegal immigrant networks, 29 May 2022, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/4208ryu.
[127] UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Statement on preliminary observations and recommendations following official visit to Greece, 22 June 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3q1bwAZ, ‘I also note the sense of pervasive fear that is felt by a significant segment of human rights defenders, which seems to be a direct result of the criminalization of migration and their legitimate, peaceful work for the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants’
[128] Greek Police, The activity of an organized criminal network, consisting of two (2) criminal organizations, whose members were systematically active in facilitating the illegal entry of foreigners into Greek territory, through the island of Lesbos, was identified, 29 July 2023, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/3VR4Bbd.
[129] Ibid. Unofficial translation to English: “(d) The members of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), at the same time as they were informed about the migratory arrival, went to the areas where the newly arrived third country nationals were located, on the pretext of providing them with humanitarian-medical assistance”.
[130] Kathimerini, Λέσβος: Ερευνα για κύκλωμα διακίνησης παράτυπων μεταναστών με εμπλοκή μελών ΜΚΟ, 29 July 2023, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/49ppbmt.
[131] Racist Crimes Watch, Greece: New smear campaign against NGOs working with asylum seekers, P. Dimitras, 20 July 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/4aosag4.
[132] Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor – Visit to Greece (A/HRC/52/29/Add.1), available at: https://bit.ly/43n0hS1, para. 114.
[133] Joint Press Release of 16 civil society organisations, Asylum Campaign (Καμπάνια για το Άσυλο) – It is the Greek Government’s responsibility to immediately put a stop to informal forced returns (pushbacks): They endanger human lives and breach the state’s international obligations, 5 October 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3MTm7qM.
[134] ‘My concerns were compounded by accounts I received during my country visit to Greece in June 2022 detailing how fear of criminalisation has spread among human rights defenders working in the field of migration in the country. As I underlined in my preliminary observations following the visit, solidarity should never be punished and compassion should never be put on trial’: UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Human rights defenders on trial in Greece, 9 January 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3MVFVtp
[135] France24, Greek court drops spying charges against migrant rescuers, 13 January 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3BQKu1R.
[136] The Press Project, «Μεγάλη νίκη στη Μυτιλήνη: Αθώοι για τα πλημμελήματα οι 16 ανθρωπιστές – «Μετά από 6 χρόνια, επιτέλους αποδόθηκε δικαιοσύνη», 30 January 2024, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/3xDvzsP.
[137] Reuters, Greek court drops criminal charges against 35 international aid workers, 30 April 2024, available here.
[138] The Guardian, Greek court drops espionage charges against aid workers, Accused were arrested in Lesbos and accused of facilitating illegal entry of migrants into the country, 1 May 2024, available here.
[139] Amnesty International: The State of the World’s Human Rights; Greece 2025, 21 April 2026 https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/2139304.html; Human Rights Watch (HRW) “Humanitarians’ Baseless Trial in Greece No Evidence of Crimes But Risk of Prison for Saving Lives” https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/12/11/humanitarians-baseless-trial-in-greece
[140] The Guardian, ‘Rights groups hail acquittal after seven years of aid workers prosecuted during Greece refugee crisis’, 16 January 2026, available at: https://tinyurl.com/3fbv49xf.
[141] “Some medias have publicized “what appears to be leaked information on the alleged investigation, in some cases alongside a picture of Dimitras. The money laundering case reportedly concerns “funding Dimitras received, mainly from the EU, to support human rights causes, that was used for other purposes than those claimed,” according to a Kathimerini [BP1] article. Dimitras said the only EU funds his organization receives, as published on the European Commission’s website, are for the fight against hate speech and called these claims unfounded “slander.” See, Human Rights Watch, Greece: Smear campaign against rights activists, 19 June 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/43OSihL. See, also, Asylum Campaign (Καμπάνια για το Άσυλο) Press Release, The attempt to silence human rights defenders continues. What remains to be decided are its accompanying measures, 22 December 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/45BXpT4.
[142] Human Rights Watch, Greece: Migrant Rights Defenders Face Charges, End Judicial Harassment of Migrant Rights Activists; Respect Asylum Obligations, 26 January 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/43ifSlx.
[143] Human Rights Watch, Greece: Events of 2024, 2025, available here. See also, HRW, Greece: Migrant Rights Defenders Face Charges – End Judicial Harassment of Migrant Rights Activists; Respect Asylum Obligations, 26 January 2023, available here.
[144] OMCT SOS-Torture Network, Greece: Continued judicial harassment of migrants’ rights defender Panayote Dimitras, 14 August 2024, available here.
[145] Greece: Athens Bar Association’s interpretation of the Greek Bar Code on guaranteeing the lawyer-asylum applicant relationship without criminalisation, 12 September 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3Ja4TCL.
[146] Human Rights Watch, Greece: Events of 2024, 2025, available at: here.
[147] GNCHR, Statement on Human Rights Defenders Working in the Field of Refugee/Migration Issues, Athens, 22 April 22 2024, available in Greek here.
[148] The UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the GNCHR express concern about rhetoric against civil society, 28 August 2025, https://www.nchr.gr/ta-nea-mas/2074-i-ypati-armosteia-tou-oie-gia-tous-prosfyges-kai-i-ethniki-epitropi-gia-ta-dikaiomata-tou-anthropou-ekfrazoun-tin-anisyxia-tous-gia-ti-ritoriki-se-varos-tis-koinonias-ton-politon.html
[149] RSA, Draft Law Attacking Civil Society in Greece RSA comments on the “promotion of legal migration policies” bill” https://rsaegean.org/en/draft-law-attacking-civil-society-in-greece/
[150] GNCHR, Statement on the provisions of the draft law targeting civil society organisations https://www.nchr.gr/en/news/2181-statement-on-the-provisions-of-the-draft-law-targeting-civil-society-organisations.html
[151] GCR Comments by the Greek Council for Refugees on the draft bill by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum titled: “Promotion of Legal Migration Policies” (available only in Greek) https://tinyurl.com/2s49vc3d.
[152] MoMA, Press release, 23 November 2021, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/3yzVCzV.