Greece’s illegal suspension of asylum claims must immediately be reverted

Last week, the Greek government announced it would suspend asylum claims for people arriving by sea from North Africa, a dangerous move that could see refugees pushed back to danger without their claims ever being heard. Safe Passage Greece joined over 70 other organisations in calling on the Government to immediately overturn this decision, and to protect refugees’ rights to seek safety.

Athens, 16 July 2025 – The undersigned civil society organisations condemn as illegal and unacceptable the legislative provision passed by the Parliament on Friday, 11 July 2025 (Article 79 of Law 5218/2025), which suspends for three months the submission of asylum applications by people arriving in the country from North Africa and provides for their immediate deportation without registration.

The fundamental principles underpinning the right of access to asylum and the prohibition of refoulement are absolute and non-derogable. These principles are codified in binding international treaties and European Union law of paramount legal authority, which prevail over any conflicting provisions of domestic legislation. This supremacy has been consistently affirmed by esteemed judicial and oversight bodies, both within the Hellenic Republic and at the international level, including the Greek Ombudsman, the National Commission for Human Rights, the Association of Administrative Judges, the Plenary Assembly of the Bar Associations of Greece, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

We call on the Greek Government to immediately withdraw this illegal legislative provision and on the European Commission to urgently take measures to enforce EU law and immediately end the violation, in accordance with its statutory responsibilities.

The undersigned organizations

1.            Γιατροί Χωρίς Σύνορα – Ελληνικό Τμήμα

2.            Διεθνής Αμνηστία

3.            Διεθνής Ομοσπονδία για τα Δικαιώματα του Ανθρώπου (FIDH)

4.            Δίκτυο για τα Δικαιώματα του Παιδιού

5.            Δίκτυο για το Δικαίωμα στη Στέγη και την Κατοικία

6.            Κέντρο Διοτίμα

7.            Ελληνική Ένωση για τα Δικαιώματα του Ανθρώπου (ΕλΕΔΑ)

8.            Ελληνικό Φόρουμ Μεταναστών

9.            Ελληνικό Φόρουμ Προσφύγων

10.         Ελληνικό Συμβούλιο για τους Πρόσφυγες (ΕΣΠ)

11.         Ίριδα Κέντρο Γυναικών

12.         ΚΙΣΑ Κίνηση για Ισότητα, Στήριξη, Αντιρατσισμό

13.         Κοινότητα Πάπα Ιωάννη 23ου

14.         Κυπριακό Συμβούλιο για τους Πρόσφυγες

15.         Παρατηρητήριο Ανθρωπίνων Δικαιωμάτων (HRW)

16.         Σύλλογος Αλβανών Μεταναστών «Μητέρα Τερέζα»

17.         Συμβίωση – Σχολή Πολιτικών Σπουδών του Συμβουλίου της Ευρώπης

18.         Υποστήριξη Προσφύγων στο Αιγαίο (RSA)

19.         Φάρος

20.         Action for Women

21.         aditus foundation

22.         Associazione Ricreativa e Culturale Italiana (ARCI)

23.         Association for Legal Studies on Immigration (ASGI)

24.         Avocats Sans Frontières France

25.         Boat Refugee Foundation

26.         Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

27.         Changemakers Lab

28.         Collective Aid

29.         Defence for Children International Greece

30.         Dynamo International Social Street Workers Network

31.         ECHO100PLUS

32.         Emantes – International LGBTQIA+ Solidarity

33.         EmpowerVan

34.         Equal Legal Aid (ELA)

35.         Equal Rights Beyond Borders

36.         EuroMed Rights

37.         European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)

38.         European Lawyers in Lesvos (ELIL)

39.         Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid

40.         Fondation pour la Promotion des Droits en Algérie

41.         HIAS Ελλάδος

42.         The HOME Project

43.         Human Rights Association (IHD)

44.         Human Rights Legal Project

45.         InterEuropean Human Aid Association

46.         International Rescue Committee (IRC) Hellas

47.         I Have Rights

48.         INTERSOS HELLAS

49.         Iridia Association - Centre for the Defence of Humans Rights

50.         Ithaca Laundry

51.         Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Europe

52.         Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Greece

53.         Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Portugal

54.         Legal Centre Lesvos

55.         Lighthouse Relief

56.         Médecins du Monde International

57.         Migrant Voice

58.         Mobile Info Team

59.         Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)

60.         PRAKSIS

61.         PRO ASYL

62.         Project Armonia

63.         Refugees International

64.         Refugees Welcome, Denmark

65.         Safe Passage International Greece

66.         Samos Volunteers

67.         Save the Children

68.         Second Tree

69.         Servicio Jesuita a Migrantes España

70.         Terre des hommes Hellas

71.         Velos Youth Centre

72.         Vouliwatch