Announcements

Appeals by survivors of the tragic shipwreck accepted

The International Federation for Human Rights – FIDH has issued a statement on Greece, calling for an end to the systematic targeting of civil society organisations active in the fields of asylum and migration.

Athens, 14 July 2025 – The Racist Violence Recording Network (the Network) is increasingly concerned by a noticeable shift in public discourse towards xenophobia, racist rhetoric, and diminishing adherence to fundamental principles of the rule of law, in the context of migration and asylum management in the country.

The undersigned human rights and humanitarian organizations and trade unions urge the EU to ensure that the ongoing review of Israel’s compliance with article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement be thorough, comprehensive, and credible.

The Greek Forum of Refugees (GFR) and the RISE Network[1] (Refugees Ideas and Solutions for Europe) express their outrage, profound concern, and deep sorrow over yet another brutal crime against refugees in the Aegean Sea. On December 20, 2024, near Rhodes Island, the Hellenic Coast Guard deliberately rammed a boat carrying 27 refugees, including women and children, leaving eight dead, three of whom were decapitated or lost part of their bodies due to the severity of the collision. In addition, a four-year-old girl is missing. This was neither an accident nor an incident – it was a brutal crime.

On Tuesday 4 February, a Press Conference on the current state of the Rule of Law in Greece was successfully held at the Athens Bar Association with a significant turnout. The event was organised by the independent organisations Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), HIAS Greece, Homo Digitalis, Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), Reporters United, Solomon, and Vouliwatch.

The annual report of the European Commission on the state of the Rule of Law is interpreted by the Greek Government as a positive recognition of its policies and actions—a fact that, however, appears to be in stark contradiction with the observations and concerns expressed by international organizations such as the United Nations and the Council of Europe regarding the country’s institutions.

The absence of any investigation into the responsibilities of the competent search and rescue bodies and the leadership of the Coast Guard and the Greek Coast Guard is deafening

Call for the adoption of an additional Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights on the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment

To the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and to the Permanent Representatives of the Member States of the Council of Europe

Greece: EU Ignores Deteriorating Rule of Law
Misleading Report Plays Down Curbs in Media, Civic Space

(Brussels, August 1, 2024) – The European Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law Report, published on July 24, 2024, misleads readers about the state of the rule of law in Greece at a time when media freedom and civic space face dire threats and attacks, 14 human rights and media freedom organizations said today.

The overly positive account in the report starkly contrasts an alarming reality experienced by journalists, activists, and civil society organizations on the ground, and a growing international concern over the deterioration of the rule of law in the country, which was highlighted by 17 human rights and press freedom groups in a February 2024 letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The trial of the nine survivors of the deadly Pylos shipwreck was scheduled for 21 May 2024, in Kalamata. The Court dismissed all charges against the survivors due to lack of jurisdiction. The Court found the prosecution inadmissible for the charges of criminal organization and causing a shipwreck. Additionally, the defendants were acquitted of charges related to transporting migrants and illegal entry into the country.

The Hellenic League for Human Rights invites you to the Conference entitled:

Rights Today: gaps and challenges in their protection

1974-2024: 50 years after the ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights

Saturday, 25 May 2024, 09:00-18:00

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

“Alkis Argiriadis” Amphitheater (central building , 30 Panepistimiou st.)