We are an international and multilingual team of human rights lawyers, advocates and interpreters. We work from our main offices in Athens and Berlin, and our field offices on the islands of Chios and Kos.
All of our services are free of charge, because we believe that all people should know about their rights and have access to high quality legal support.
Get to know our teams in Athens, Berlin, Chios and Kos and learn more about our projects. Don't hesitate to get in touch.
Our largest office in Athens provides free legal aid, develops and implements strategic litigation, and raises awareness for human rights violations through advocacy. Given the systemic violation of the rights of people on the move, providing legal support to those most in need is essential.
Apart from the daily legal aid work, the Athens office implements five further projects.
In addition, the Athens office covers accounting, general administration, and human resources for all our offices in Greece.
Aora Helmzadeh is a journalist and artist from Iran. She studied sociology in Iran and filmmaking at the berlin film school.
Christina has been an Attorney at Law since 2011, graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and holder of a master’s degree in public law and political science. She was a member of the Asylum Appeals’ Committees indicated by the UNHCR from 2014 to 2017 and afterwards she has worked as a lawyer with Greek and international NGOs in the field of migration. She's specialized in child protection and SGBV cases. Christina joined Equal Rights Beyond Borders in 2024 and she is the focal person of the detention project.
Mustafa works as an Arabic interpreter and cultural mediator. He has a vast experience in translation for various non-state and state organisations. After having supported us since 2018 as a volunteer, he joined our team on a permanent basis in 2021.
Niki is a Law School graduate from the National and Capodistrian University of Athens, and she holds an LLM in Human Rights from the University of Strasbourg. Niki joined Equal Rights Beyond Borders in 2017 on Chios, co-founded the Athens office, and is heading our Geek offices since 2020.
Our Berlin office is responsible for strategic litigation and general coordination. We believe that human rights violations at the EU's external border are a European issue. When people on the move are forced to stay in inhumane camps, illegally detained and deported, or denied the right to family reunification, this concerns us all.
In our Berlin office, we work on six projects.
Further, our Berlin office does all the essential background work: fundraising, accounting, general administration, social media, human resources and IT infrastructure are indispensable for our work.
Anne is working with our team in Berlin as a project coordinator. She studied law in Leipzig and passed her second bar exam at the Kammergericht Berlin. She has profound experience in asylum law, with a particular focus on transnational administrative procedures. Anne joined Equal Right Beyond Borders in 2017 in Chios and has been working with our Berlin office since 2018.
Helen is working with Equal Rights Beyond Boarders as the office manager in the Berlin office since 2023. She studied International and Cultural Business Studies and Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability in Barcelona. Helen has formerly worked in food education.
Pedro is currently pursuing a degree in Applied Computer Science at HTW Berlin and joined Equal Rights in 2024 as part of the Berlin team. He has a long-standing commitment to sustainability and social causes. At Equal Rights, Pedro supports the administration of the organization’s IT infrastructure and assists colleagues with technical solutions.
Robert is the Director of Equal Rights Beyond Borders. He co-founded Equal Rights Beyond Borders in 2016 and has worked with us ever since.
With an academic background in Indian languages and civilizations, Serafina has deeply rooted her studies in postcolonial theory, offering nuanced perspectives on historical and contemporary issues. Over the years, Serafina has channeled this academic insight into meaningful engagement with refugees and migrants, collaborating to impactful projects in the social and cultural sectors.
Her professional journey spans fundraising, communication, and project coordination.
Our office in Chios provides free legal aid to people on the move who are forced to stay in the "EU hotspot" camp Vial, and raises awareness through advocacy work. While the "EU hotspots" are no longer in the centre of media attention, systemic human rights violations continue. We have been continuously present in Chios since 2016 and are determined to stay as long as the rights of people on the move are disregarded by EU agencies and Greek authorities. In our Chios office we also focus on representing survivors of SGBV.
The Chios office works on five projects.
Athena is a registered lawyer in Athens Bar Association , graduated from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and holder of a master’s degree in political Sociology and Comparative Politics at Panteion University. She has been working on international protection and migration field since 2020. Athena joined Equal Rights Beyond Borders in November 2023.
Vivian holds a Law degree from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and is a member of Piraeus Bar Association since 2010. In 2017, she worked in Chios as a lawyer at the NGO “METAdrasi” Legal Aid program and later as a member of Metadrasi Guardianship Network for Unaccompanied Minors. She joined Equal Rights Beyond Borders in 2020.
In Kos, we provide free legal aid to those most in need and raise awareness through advocacy work. While the "EU hotspots" are no longer in the centre of media attention, systemic human rights violations are ongoing. This is why we opened our Kos office in 2021. We won’t look away. We are there and determined to stay as long as the rights of people on the move are disregarded by EU agencies and Greek authorities.
Since September 2024, Kos office also supports cases from Leros, conducting field visits on a regular basis, as Leros presents the most severe lack of human rights' advocating actors.
The Kos office works on five projects.
Ahmed is an interpreter and case worker dedicated to bridging language and cultural gaps. With a deep understanding of diverse backgrounds, and experience supporting NGOs and various projects. He strives for ensuring effective communication and advocating for the rights of displaced individuals. He joined Equal Rights Beyond Borders as Arabic Interpreter in January 2025.
Beritan is a graduate of Istanbul University’s Faculty of Law, where she completed her studies in 2018. She is a registered attorney with the Diyarbakır Bar Association and has gained experience in human rights, criminal law, and labor law. Currently, Beritan is pursuing an LL.M. in European and International Law at Europa-Institut, Saarland University, with a focus on European Economic Law and International Human Rights. Outside her academic work, she is undertaking an Erasmus-supported internship at Equal Rights Beyond Borders, where she focuses on legal research, case management support—including Dublin FRU cases—and advocacy for asylum seekers and refugees. She also assists with Kurmanji translations.
Christina is a graduate of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Law School and is currently pursuing her LLM in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. She was first licensed as a lawyer in 2010. She has worked as a case worker and Coordinator of Piraeus Regional Office of the Greek Asylum Service, and subsequently as an advocate of people on the move in camp-based, urban and border-island contexts. Christina joined Equal Rights Beyond Borders in September 2023.
Sofia is a graduate of Democritus University of Thrace, Law School and member of Nafplio Bar Association since 2015. In 2020, she worked in Kos as lawyer-member of GCR's legal unit - UNHCR legal aid program for general refugee population. She join our office on Kos in 2022.
Sonia holds a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC, where she earned a Certificate in Refugees, Migration, and Humanitarian Emergencies in 2024. Before moving to Greece, she worked for various NGOs across the United States and Europe, advocating for the rights of immigrant children, detained asylum seekers, war refugees, and migrants facing pushbacks in border regions. In 2019, she served as a Fulbright Fellow in southern Ukraine and has more recently worked with Ukrainian civil society actors to advance transitional justice there. Sonia joined Equal Rights Beyond Borders in October 2024 as a Legal Fellow.