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Clear evidence of serious criminal liability among senior Coast Guard officers
Tuesday, 4 February | 11:00 AM | Athens Bar Association
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
New illustrations towards building a counter-narrative to the criminalisation of solidarity
On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
Setara writes about her journey, the situation in Afghanistan, and the powerful message she wishes to send
A family of refugees had unlawfully been detained under a “restriction of freedom” in the RIC of Malakasa
Even asylum interviews are no longer being conducted
Video: Rezwana shares her story
CJEU’s judgment of major importance
In recent months financial assistance has been suspended for all asylum seekers in Greece
Risks of serious human rights violations
The European Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law Report, published on July 24, 2024, misleads readers about the state of the rule of law in Greece
On the occasion of the World Refugee Day, we publish a transcript of the testimony given to us by Bilal*, a survivor of the Pylos shipwreck.
Recurring serious indications of informal forced returns through sea and land borders
The video of the Press Conference on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the deadly shipwreck off Pylos
Video with testimonials, timeline. The Pylos shipwreck was one of the deadliest in the Mediterranean. The demand for Justice persists.
The press conference will be conducted entirely in Greek.
The Supreme Court in Greece decided today to deny the extradition of V.K., a Turkish asylum seeker of Kurdish origin.
Two human stories behind 13 Coast Guard shots on a refugee boat. On the recent ECtHR ruling regarding the 2014 Pserimos incident
From Hate Speech to Racist Attacks: Patterns of Racist Violence in Greece, 2023. The Annual Report of the Racist Violence Recording Network
RVRN strongly condemns the violent incident against two LGBTQI+ individuals in Thessaloniki by a large group on Saturday 9 March 2024
The “safe third country” concept is under scrutiny by the CJEU, PRO ASYL and RSA are calling for an end to the EU-Turkey deal
On Thursday 14/32024, hearing before the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg, regarding Turkey as a “safe third country”
On the occasion of 8th of March, RSA shares the voices of three women from different origins and backgrounds.
Τhe European Ombudsman released her conclusions on EU search and rescue as related to the Pylos shipwreck.
Disgraceful living conditions prevail in the overcrowded Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC) in Samos.
The European Commission should take immediate action to address the deterioration of media freedom and the rule of law in Greece and its impact on fundamental rights
The Serious Incident Report of the Frontex Fundamental Rights Office on the Pylos shipwreck leaves no doubt as to the responsibility of the Greek Coast Guard
Joint call for the closure of the Samos CCAC and for adequate accommodation for people, within communities and in housing.
The annual report for 2022 of the Recording Mechanism of Incidents of Informal Forced Returns in Greece
The HELIOS programme, the only programme for refugee integration in Greece, has been suspended since January 1, 2024, due to lack of funding.
Wednesday, January 24, at 12.00, at DSA – Athens Bar Association (60 Akadimias, Athens)
European Court of Human Rights condemned Greece today, Tuesday 16/1/2024, for breaching right to life.
In recent months the majority of new arrivals of refugees on the Rhodes – including families with children – end up sleeping on the streets.
In recent months, there has been an increase in the number of ships arriving in Crete and Gavdos, islands which have no official infrastructure for the first reception of asylum seekers and their identification procedures.
The Common European Asylum System (CEAS) is at dire risk of dismantlement in view of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum.
The major protection risks attached to the reform. Webinar organised by the Border Violence Monitoring Network
Flood victims in Greece are housed in unsuitable conditions at the refugee structure in Koutsochero
Οι παραβιάσεις που εντοπίστηκαν από το Δικαστήριο στην υπόθεση του Φαρμακονησίου δεν αποτελούν ένα μεμονωμένο περιστατικό.
The Greek discourse and the consequences expected from the reform of the “Common European Asylum System” (CEAS)
The RVRN categorically condemns recent incidents involving civilian self-proclaimed ‘militia’ groups engaging in unlawful acts of violence against refugees and migrants in Greece
23 Aug: 19 refugees dead in the devastating fires and escalation of racist violence in Evros, Greece
The tragic human toll currently includes 19 confirmed dead refugees on Evros and escalation of racist discourse and practices
RSA presents an overview of the tragic shipwreck of Pylos with a detailed timeline and other crucial data linked to it.
A glance at compliance with the landmark 2011 European Court of Human Rights judgment
RSA will stand by the survivors and the relatives of the victims throughout all stages of the process, in order for justice to be served.
Reject the Use of Legal Loopholes in EU Asylum Law Reforms
The story of a survivor of a different impending shipwreck, two years ago
78 people dead and more than 500 missing after the shipwreck off the coast of Pylos are seeking justice
41 organisations call to ensure human dignity and access to food and water.
Human lives must finally be respected – no more deaths.
The Council of the European Union sets impermissible restrictions on refugees’ access to asylum procedures in Europe.
We remain firmly on the side of those who defend human rights and in particular refugees and immigrants.
The upgrade of the database maintained by the Asylum Service “Alkyoni”, has “frozen” the asylum procedures since early May.
Ρατσισμός και στοχοποίηση των υπερασπιστών: Ρωγμές στην ασφάλεια των θυμάτων και το αίσθημα δικαίου
Greece encampment policy and services takeover lead to isolation and deny protection
As European role model it represents a frontal attack on international refugee protection
An unofficial translation of relevant excerpts of the decision
A Syrian refugee ,victim of informal forced return from Greece to Turkey, is among the earthquake victims in the city of Afrin
The Greek Council of State formulates preliminary questions
Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) and HIAS Greece Joint Submission
Joint Civil Society Submission to the European Commission on the 2023 Rule of Law Report January 2023
RSA is a member of the Registration Mechanism.
What remains to be decided are its accompanying measures
A step backwards for protection and integration
Campaign for Access to Asylum
Joint Letter: Repeal the national list of safe third countries
According to all indications the person has been unlawfully pushed back to Turkey.
The Greek Asylum Service must urgently resolve technical problems
Refugees receiving protection in Greece and those returned thereto from other European countries continue to face prolonged delays in the renewal of their residence permits.
Refugee women remain undocumented four months after return from Sweden to Greece
The way in which the Ministry of Migration handled last month’s case concerning the Syrian people who were left stranded for days in Evros, while sparking a general public outcry, cannot but cause concern and call for reflection.
The undersigned NGOs strongly oppose the introduction and use of the concept of instrumentalisation and its codification in EU law;
Athens, 11/7/2022 Moderation: Dimitris Angelidis, Journalist Giorgos Tsarbopoulos, former Greece Representative, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees I want to…
Today’s judgment from the ECtHR comes eight years following the tragic incident. It 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.
ONE MORE ACQUITTAL SHOWS THE DRAMATIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE CRIMINALISATION OF REFUGEES ENTERING IN EU TERRITORY On May 19, 2022,…
Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) completes registration on the NGO Registry The Special Secretariat for Stakeholder Coordination at the Ministry of…
National Transparency Authority should publish the full investigation regarding pushbacks in accordance with the principle of transparency Download the Press…
The organisations highlight the need to ensure that asylum seekers to whom the safe third country concept has been applied have their applications promptly examined on the merits and are provided with respective legal status and adequate reception conditions, as well as to safeguard the integrity of the Common European Asylum System against systematic non-compliance.
Farhad*, a 31-year-old recognised refugee, was returned from Germany to Greece at the beginning of July 2021 after spending more than five years in Germany waiting for his asylum claim to be processed.
Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) and PRO ASYL call upon the European Commission to immediately launch infringement proceedings against Greece regarding systemic violations of international and EU law, stemming from the arbitrary rejection of asylum applications based on the “safe third country” concept and from the prevention of refugees’ access to asylum procedures.
Almost two months after the deadly shipwrecks in Paros, Folegandros and Antikythera, the bodies of missing refugees and migrants are still found scattered all over the Aegean. The survivors – relatives and companions of these people who were anxiously searching for clues about their fate, instead of receiving the necessary psychosocial care under decent accommodation conditions, were taken to the Pre-removal Detention Centre (PROKEKA) in Amygdaleza where they remained in administrative detention for more than a month. The recent shipwrecks have once again highlighted the huge shortcomings in the information, support and care of survivors, in the coordination for the management of shipwreck victims such as the protocol for the search and identification of the missing and dead respectively and the referral to an appropriate accommodation facility.
Two years after the violent crackdown on citizens in Chios and Lesvos who oppose the transformation of the islands into prisons for refugees and migrants, dissatisfaction with the refugee response is growing.
Michalis Psimitis, Professor of Sociology at the University of the Aegean and Coordinator of the Anti-Racist Observatory of the University of the Aegean, explains the goals served by the escalation of control and surveillance regimes for refugees
An expert opinion by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) released today finds the Greek legal framework on the registration of NGOs working with refugees and migrants (Joint Ministerial Decision 10616/2020) “in clear violation” of standards of international law, EU law and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The Ombudsman calls the administration to re-examine the rejection of registration on the ground that it contravenes the “acquis of international, EU and national law”.
The undersigned non-governmental organisations were surprised to be informed that the Ministry of Migration and Asylum denied the registration of non-profit civil society organisation “Refugee Support Aegean” (RSA) on its NGO Registry, despite a positive opinion from competent services. We are particularly concerned by the substantive ground for such rejection, citing that the “development of activity” “in support of persons under deportation” is contrary to Greek legislation.
Greece’s decision to suspend access to its asylum process in March 2020 as a response to pressure from Turkey set…
Dublin returnees without effective access to asylum procedures and accommodation in Greece, now under risk of readmission to Turkey
Greek authorities unlawfully pushed a group including Syrian refugee back to Turkey through the Evros land border, while a procedure for interim measures was pending before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
13 Oct: No room for complacency towards racist violence one year after the conviction of Golden Dawn
One year after the historic conviction of Golden Dawn, the Racist Violence Recording Network calls to mind the importance of the judicial decision that sent a clear message against the criminal organization and organized racist violence. In parallel, the Network warns that there is no room for complacency, as the modus operandi of organized violence continues to severely affect social cohesion.
Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) and Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) filed judicial review applications before the Greek Council of State for the annulment of the Joint Ministerial Decision of the Minister of Migration and Asylum and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of 7 June 2021. The Decision designated Turkey as a safe third country for nationals of Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
While the Greek government is sending contradictory messages about dealing with the humanitarian crisis caused by the return of the Taliban to power, thousands of Afghan refugees living in Greece are anxious for the fate of their relatives and themselves, as based on the Joint Ministerial Decision (JMD) issued in June they may be returned to Turkey as a safe third country with a risk of onward deportation to Afghanistan.
WE ARE DEEPLY THANKFUL – Update on the collection of computers for refugee children
Online press conference
PRO ASYL and Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) warn that the right to asylum and the 1951 Refuge Convention are being largely suspended in Greece – with the active support of the European Union.
Three asylum seekers represented by Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) have lodged complaints with the European Commission relating to infringement of EU law stemming from Greece’s failure to correctly transpose and implement the Asylum Procedures Directive (2013/32/EU) and the Reception Conditions Directive (2013/33/EU).
RSA publishes the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) “Turkey: Content of Protection – Country Information Pack”, last updated in August 2019.
our organisations stress that “externalization simply shifts asylum responsibilities elsewhere and evades international obligations”. We once again call on the Greek and European authorities to honour their responsibility to protect refugees and to avoid further undermining the European asylum acquis and the fundamental principles and values for protecting human rights. To this end, we call on Greece to revoke the JMD issued on 7 June.
Risks of repression of civil society organisations supporting refugees and migrants in Greece have been heavily exacerbated by successive legislative reforms in 2020, introducing disproportionate and ambiguous requirements for registration on two Registries managed by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum.
We are collecting old laptops, of the past 8 years, and to distribute them to refugee children, thus enabling them to attend educational classes remotely
Download the Letter In a letter sent on 27 April 2021 to the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson,…
Another dignified reception facility shut down Another dignified reception facility shut down Photo: Elias Marcou The refugee reception facility run…
In a report titled “Excluded and Segregated. The vanishing education of refugee children in Greece”, Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) tracks…
Over the last years, the undersigned organisations have been receiving allegations of push-backs at the country’s land and sea borders….
Refugees and islanders talked about the effects of the deal on their lives and on local communities. The event was coordinated by journalist Fotini Lampridi.
Four experts present the impact of confinement on the mental health, rights and life of the “children of the deal”.
Three illustrative stories of refugees who experienced the tragic consequences of the implementation of the “deal” at any cost remind us that human rights are trampled every day in the Reception and Identification Centres of the Aegean islands.
Statistics provided by the Appeals Authority to Refugee Support Aegean (RSA)[1] give rise to important observations on the examination of…
Athens, 21 January 2020 Dear Minister, With this letter, the below signatory humanitarian, human rights and protection organizations would like…
Legal aid organizations express concerns regarding the unprecedented administrative practice of the Regional Asylum Office of Lesvos, which goes against…
We, the undersigned organizations working in the area of human rights, express our gravest concerns regarding the recent arrests in…
Athens, May 2, 2019 The borders of Greece at Evros tend to become an area outside the law, a place…
Manifesto for the 2019 European elections by 5 organisations from France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain
(Athens, December 6, 2018) – The Greek government and its European Union partners should urgently ensure that all asylum seekers…
The situation in the Aegean hotspots remains very critical despite persistent calls from NGOs and international organizations to end the…
Athens 24 October 2018 With regard to the intensification of the problems in the islands of Eastern Aegean, both concerning…
The Administrative Arrangement between Ministry of migration Policy of the Hellenic Republic and the Federal Ministry of Interior of the…
On 9 August, the Aegean became once more a graveyard for seven refugee children after a boat carrying around 13…
On 29 June, the Regional Governor of North Aegean announced a decision ordering the closure of PIKPA camp – a…
PRO-ASYL and Refugee Support Aegean wish to express once more their profound concerns over the loss of sixteen lives following the capsizing of…
In the absence of a real refugee and migration crisis on the external borders of Europe this year, arrivals down…
In Decision No. 912/2018, Greece’s Supreme Court 6th Section ruled in favour of the extradition of Turgut Kaya, a political…
Violence in Patras Port: Ill-treatment of refugees as deterrent to migration Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) fact-finding mission (27 to 28…
Between 10-11 May 2018, the Last Rights Project held an historic meeting on Lesvos island, to discuss and agree a new declaration of rights for all…
A Lesbos court yesterday acquitted three volunteer lifeguards of Spanish NGO PROEM-AID and two volunteer lifeguards from the NGO Team…
Despite the large number of civilian casualties in conflict ravaged Afghanistan, Germany and other European countries continue forcibly returning Afghan…
Afghan refugees deported from Germany are forced to flee again. Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) researchers met with four of the…
Despite the Government announcements that it will ensure access to education for all refugee children living in Greece, the majority…
By the Legal Aid Actors Task Force, January 2018 The following observations are drawn from the experience of 14 organisations assisting…
At the end of October the Ministry of Migration Policy has decided to decongest 2000 people from overcrowded hot-spots in…
Photo copyright: Salinia Stroux Dramatic shortages in both mainland and Greek islands force organizations and solidarity groups to search for…
“We want to put our heads on our pillows at night and sleep in peace all together.” Foaz M, 40…
The highest administrate Greek court, the Council of State confirmed in a judgment published on 22 September, the decisions of…
Despite facilities in Kos have already reached maximum capacity due to increased arrivals from Turkey, the few last weeks authorities…
Despite repeated promises by the Migration Policy Minister, Giannis Mouzalas, Derveni (Alexil) camp has not been closed in spring 2017[i]….
The Council of State, the Supreme Administrative Court of Greece, has on Friday decided against the appeals of two Syrians…
Day by day the situation regarding serious human rights violations in Turkey is deteriorating, while the crisis in the relations…
On August 23rd the Northern Aegean Appeal Council examined and rejected Turkey’s extradition request against A.M Turkish/British citizen. RSA lawyers…
Hundreds of refugees that entered EU through Greece and reached other EU countries after 15th of March are in danger…
Violence and tensions currently tend to become routine at the Reception and Identification Center (RIC) – the so-called hotspot in…
The issue of the identification, protection and support of unaccompanied minors in Greece remains of major importance, following the recent…
Following the departure of Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), medical and social services have seriously been minimised in the Registration and Identification…
Statewatch has leaked a version of the code of contact the European Commission has demanded that INGOs involved in SAR…
The Felony Appeal Court of Dodecanese in Rhodes decided yesterday that the young Syrian – sentenced initially to 25 years…
It has been 10 days since Turkish lawyer Taner Kiliç, President of Amnesty International Turkey, and well-known human rights defender,…
A Syrian refugee, a Christian of Armenian origin, who lived for about a year in Turkey under the precarious ‘temporary…
PRO ASYL has been co-operating with human rights lawyers and researchers in Greece since 2007 for strategic litigations and the documentation…
Gabriele Del Grande in 2010, when he received the Human Rights Price of Stiftung PRO ASYL. Photo: Gustavo Alabiso Del…
On March 30th a new pre-removal detention center was opened on Kos Island. Similar detention centers are planned on other…
“A crucial day for refugee protection in Europe” Athens/Chios/Frankfurt: Today the highest Greek Court will hold a hearing to examine whether…