Withdraw immediately the illegal suspension of access to asylum in Greece
Athens, 16 July 2025: The undersigned Civil Society organizations condemn as illegal and impermissible 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 from the country without registration.
The fundamental principles of the right of access to asylum and protection against refoulement are not subject to any restrictions. They are enshrined in supra-legislative texts of international and EU law which take precedence over any national legal provision, as has already been pointed out by reputable institutions in Greece and internationally, including the Ombudsman, the National Commission for Human Rights, the Association of Administrative Judges, the Plenary Session of the Greek Bar Associations, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
We call on the Greek Government to immediately withdraw this illegal legislation and on the European Commission to take urgent action to enforce EU law and immediately remove the violation, in accordance with its statutory responsibilities.
The signatory organisations
- Solidarity of Lesvos
- Association AMOKA / Athenian Museum of Fine Arts
- ANTIGONI – Information and Documentation Centre for Racism, Ecology, Peace and Non-Violence
- ARSIS Social Organization for Youth Support
- Médecins Sans Frontières – Greek Section
- Amnesty International
- International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
- Network for the Rights of the Child
- Network for the Right to Roof and Housing
- Network of Young People of Immigrant Origin “ORIZONTES”
- Diotima Centre
- Hellenic League for Human Rights (ELEDA)
- Greek Observatory of the Helsinki Accords (EOSA)
- Greek Forum of Migrants
- Greek Refugee Forum
- Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)
- Sea of Solidarity
- Iris Women’s Centre
- Caritas Hellas
- Campaign on Access to Asylum
- KISA Action for Equality, Support, Antiracism
- Community of Pope John 23rd
- Cyprus Council for Refugees
- Human Rights Watch (HRW)
- Drop / Drop in the Ocean
- Association of Albanian Immigrants “Mother Teresa”
- Symbiosis – Council of Europe School of Political Studies
- Refugee Support in the Aegean (RSA)
- Lighthouse
- Action for Women
- aditus foundation
- Alma Community Therapies
- Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de España (APDHE)
- Associazione Ricreativa e Culturale Italiana (ARCI)
- Association for Legal Studies on Immigration (ASGI)
- Athens Pride
- Advocates Sans Frontières France
- Boat Refugee Foundation
- Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN)
- Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
- Changemakers Lab
- Collective Aid
- Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ)
- CPT – Aegean Migrant Solidarity
- CRIBS International
- Defence for Children International Greece
- Dråpen i Havet
- Dynamo International Social Street Workers Network
- 4. ECHO100PLUS
- Emantes – International LGBTQIA+ Solidarity
- EmpowerVan
- Equal Legal Aid (ELA)
- Equal Rights Beyond Borders
- Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice
- EUROCEF
- EuroMed Rights
- European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)
- European Lawyers in Lesvos (ELIL)
- European Observatory for Non-Discrimination and Fundamental Rights (EONDFR)
- Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid
- Fondation pour la Promotion des Droits en Algérie
- HIAS Greece
- The HOME Project
- Human Rights Association (IHD)
- Human Rights Legal Project
- InterEuropean Human Aid Association
- International Rescue Committee (IRC) Hellas
- International League for Human Rights
- I Have Rights
- Inter Alia
- INTERSOS HELLAS
- Iridia Association – Centre for the Defence of Humans Rights
- Ithaca Laundry
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Europe
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Greece
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Malta
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Portugal
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Serbia
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Switzerland
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) UK
- Legal Centre Lesvos
- Licra Bas-Rhin
- Lighthouse Relief
- Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH)
- Médecins du Monde International
- Migrant Voice
- Mobile Info Team
- Mouvement International d’Apostolat des Milieux Sociaux Indépendants (MIAMSI)
- Northern Lights Aid
- Office international de l’enseignement catholique (OIEC)
- PAX Romana (ICMICA- MIIC)
- Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)
- PRAKSIS
- PRO ASYL
- Project Armonia
- Refcheck point (Positive Voice)
- Refugees International
- Refugees Welcome, Denmark
- RENATE Network (Religious in Europe Networking against Trafficking and Exploitation)
- Safe Passage International Greece
- Safe Place Greece
- Samos Volunteers
- SAO Association Hellas
- Save the Children
- Second Tree
- Servicio Jesuita a Migrantes España
- Terre des hommes Hellas
- Velos Youth Centre
- Vouliwatch
The announcement will remain open for co-signatures until Friday 18 July 2025 at 12.00 CET. Contact details: Spyros-Vlad Economou(s.oikonomou@gcr.gr), Minos Mouzourakis(m.mouzourakis@rsaegean.org).