Proposed amendments to the Immigration Code criminalise actions of employees of NGOs who support refugees and migrants. Despite repeated international recommendations, the Ministry of Migration and Asylum continues to target civil society, using the NGO Registry as a tool of intimidation and silencing. 56 organisations have described the proposed provisions as illegal and are calling for their immediate withdrawal.
On December 10th, Equal Rights Beyond Borders appeared before the Court of Rhodes, representing an asylum seeker from Afghanistan who was accused of human smuggling and faced a heavy and lengthy prison sentence. Despite the increasingly hostile anti-migration climate in Greece, Equal Rights successfully secured his acquittal on all charges and subsequent release.
We joined UNHCR during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence to hold multilingual GBV info sessions with women in Vial Camp on Chios. Across five languages, we discussed rights, protection mechanisms, and referral pathways for GBV survivors in Greece. The exchange created space for empowerment, awareness, and honest sharing with women from diverse backgrounds.
Human rights in Europe are increasingly under pressure. Our Christmas campaign calls on everyone to take a stand. Become a human rights defender and send a clear message for human rights.
After an increased number of arrivals from Libya to Crete, Greece had ‘suspended’ the right to asylum and refused to register asylum applications. Instead, they were detained and faced deportation. Unlawful – as the Administrative Court of First Instance of Piraeus now made clear. In decisions issued on 24 October and 6 November, emphasized that the applicants had expressed their wish to seek asylum upon arrival in Greece and, therefore, should not be removed from the country.
The Rhodes Administrative Court of First Instance has ordered the immediate release of a Syrian woman unlawfully detained in the Kos Pre-Removal Detention Centre (PRDC), following legal action by Equal Rights Beyond Borders. The Court ruled that her detention lacked legal justification, marking a significant step toward protecting the rights of asylum seekers detained on Kos.
Berlin-based association “Equal Rights Beyond Borders” honored as a flagship project with the “Wir für morgen” award
In five separate rulings issued, the Administrative Court of First Instance of Rhodes found that the continued restriction of liberty for unaccompanied minors within the so-called “Safe Area” of the Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC) of Kos amounted to unlawful de facto detention.
