The unlawful suspension of access to asylum in Greece must be immediately withdrawn

109 organisations call for the immediate withdrawal of the illegal suspension of access to asylum in Greece.

Athens, 16 July 2025: We, the undersigned civil society organisations, condemn the unlawful and impermissible legislative provision adopted by the Hellenic Parliament on Friday 11 July 2025 (Article 79 of Law 5218/2025) which imposes a three-month suspension on the making of asylum applications for people arriving in Greece from North Africa and orders their immediate deportation without registration.

The right to seek asylum and protection from refoulement are fundamental principles that may never be restricted. Both are enshrined in international and EU Law instruments that supersede any domestic legislative provision, as already highlighted by reputable institutions at Greek and international level, including the Greek Ombudsman, the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, the Union of Greek Administrative Judges, the Plenary of Greek Bar Associations, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and UNHCR.

We call on the Greek government to immediately withdraw this unlawful legislative provision and on the European Commission to take urgent measures to enforce EU Law and to immediately put an end to its infringement, in line with its responsibilities under the Treaties.

The undersigned organisations:

1. Solidarity of Lesvos
2. Association AMOKA / Athenian Museum of Fine Arts
3. ANTIGONI – Information and Documentation Centre for Racism, Ecology, Peace and Non-Violence
4. ARSIS Social Organization for Youth Support
5. Médecins Sans Frontières – Greek Section
6. Amnesty International
7. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
8. Network for the Rights of the Child
9. Network for the Right to Roof and Housing
10. Network of Young People of Immigrant Origin “ORIZONTES”
11. Diotima Centre
12. Hellenic League for Human Rights (ELEDA)
13. Greek Observatory of the Helsinki Accords (EOSA)
14. Greek Forum of Migrants
15. Greek Refugee Forum
16. Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)
17. Sea of Solidarity
18. Iris Women’s Centre
19. Caritas Hellas
20. Campaign on Access to Asylum
21. KISA Action for Equality, Support, Antiracism
22. Community of Pope John ^23rd
23. Cyprus Council for Refugees
24. Human Rights Watch (HRW)
25. Drop / Drop in the Ocean
26. Association of Albanian Immigrants “Mother Teresa”
27. Symbiosis – Council of Europe School of Political Studies
28. Refugee Support in the Aegean (RSA)
29. Lighthouse
30. Action for Women
31. aditus foundation
32. Alma Community Therapies
33. Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de España (APDHE)
34. Associazione Ricreativa e Culturale Italiana (ARCI)
35. Association for Legal Studies on Immigration (ASGI)
36. Athens Pride
37. Advocates Sans Frontières France
38. Boat Refugee Foundation
39. Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN)
40. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
41. Changemakers Lab
42. Collective Aid
43. Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ)
44. CPT – Aegean Migrant Solidarity
45. CRIBS International
46. Defence for Children International Greece
47. Dråpen i Havet
48. Dynamo International Social Street Workers Network
49. 4. ECHO100PLUS
50. Emantes – International LGBTQIA+ Solidarity
51. EmpowerVan
52. Equal Legal Aid (ELA)
53. Equal Rights Beyond Borders
54. Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice
55. EUROCEF
56. EuroMed Rights
57. European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)
58. European Lawyers in Lesvos (ELIL)
59. European Observatory for Non-Discrimination and Fundamental Rights (EONDFR)
60. Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid
61. Fondation pour la Promotion des Droits en Algérie
62. HIAS Greece
63. The HOME Project
64. Human Rights Association (IHD)
65. Human Rights Legal Project
66. InterEuropean Human Aid Association
67. International Rescue Committee (IRC) Hellas
68. International League for Human Rights
69. I Have Rights
70. Inter Alia
71. INTERSOS HELLAS
72. Iridia Association – Centre for the Defence of Humans Rights
73. Ithaca Laundry
74. Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Europe
75. Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Greece
76. Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Malta
77. Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Portugal
78. Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Serbia
79. Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Switzerland
80. Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) UK
81. Legal Centre Lesvos
82. Licra Bas-Rhin
83. Lighthouse Relief
84. Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH)
85. Médecins du Monde International
86. Migrant Voice
87. Mobile Info Team
88. Mouvement International d’Apostolat des Milieux Sociaux Indépendants (MIAMSI)
89. Northern Lights Aid
90. Office international de l’enseignement catholique (OIEC)
91. PAX Romana (ICMICA- MIIC)
92. Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)
93. PRAKSIS
94. PRO ASYL
95. Project Armonia
96. Refcheck point (Positive Voice)
97. Refugees International
98. Refugees Welcome, Denmark
99. RENATE Network (Religious in Europe Networking against Trafficking and Exploitation)
100. Safe Passage International Greece
101. Safe Place Greece
102. Samos Volunteers
103. SAO Association Hellas
104. Save the Children
105. Second Tree
106. Servicio Jesuita a Migrantes España
107. Terre des hommes Hellas
108. Velos Youth Centre
109. Vouliwatch

The statement will remain open for additional signatures until Friday, 18 July 2025, at 11.00 CET