Written by Anna Apergi Konstantinidis, Special Advisor Diversity Charter Greece
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty called on members of the Greek Parliament to vote against and reject the government’s amendment that provides for the suspension of the registration of asylum applications from people arriving by boat from North Africa, as well as their forced return, without registration, to their countries of origin.
“This proposal would legalize the return of people facing a risk of torture and other serious violations of their human rights, in violation of obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, the 1951 Refugee Convention, as well as other legal instruments, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights,” the Commissioner said, adding that he is aware of the additional measures announced yesterday by the Prime Minister in Parliament, “including the arrest and detention of all those concerned by this amendment, which, if implemented, would raise further issues of compliance with international human rights law.”
With these proposals, the Greek Authorities aim to address the situation on the Greek islands of Crete and Gavdos, in view of the increase in irregular arrivals on the two islands in 2025.
“I recognise that the increasing arrivals on Gavdos and Crete over the last six months have created new challenges for the Greek authorities. However, as I stressed during my visit to Greece last February, the humanitarian situation would have been manageable if the authorities had addressed the lack of reception capacity in a timely manner. In any case, all measures taken to address these challenges should respect applicable international legal instruments. In other words, the authorities must ensure that the human rights of the individuals concerned are respected, their protection needs are assessed individually and effectively, and that those eligible for international protection have access to effective protection measures.”
