Suspension of processing of asylum applications just announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is illegal!

The Greek government announced today that emergency legislation will be tabled in Parliament tomorrow, Thursday, 10 July, for the suspension of asylum processing of applications by everyone arriving in Greece by boat from North Africa, for an initial period of three months.

Such a decision is blatantly unlawful and violates the universally recognised and absolute principles of non-refoulement and the prohibition of torture and other forms of inhuman and degrading treatment. The suspension of asylum is tantamount to flagrant violations and directly leads to mass detentions and unlawful criminalisation.

Authorities have long failed to implement explicit legal provisions for immediate screening procedures for new arrivals in Crete. There is a complete lack of planning and basic infrastructure, as no service from the competent Reception and Identification Service (Reception and Identification Centre) is operating, nor has a mobile unit been deployed for these essential and urgent procedures.

Rescue at sea of individuals in distress and access to the right to asylum are fundamental obligations of the government.

The first and last time Greece attempted an equally unlawful suspension of asylum was in March 2020, a practice currently under review by the European Court of Human Rights.

Finally, consistent documentation shows systematic violations, violence, and torture in Libya. Return of people to such a country is inconceivable.

We demand the immediate revocation of this decision.