Reports

Significant legal, judicial, and political developments directly affecting the state of the rule of law in Greece have taken place since the report we submitted to the European Commission in January 2026 and the addendum we submitted in February 2026.

This second addendum to our report provides an overview of these developments and should be read in conjunction with our previous contributions to the Rule of Law Report. The second addendum is also available in Greek here.

Athens, 11 February 2026

Press Release

On Wednesday, 11 February, a press conference on the current state of the Rule of Law in Greece was successfully held with significant attendance at the Irida Cinema Theatre. The event was organised by the independent organisations HIAS Greece, Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), Vouliwatch, the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), the Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), Homo Digitalis, Reporters United and Solomon.

In October 2025, in the context of the preparation of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Report on the “Human rights of Migrants”, the Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR) submitted a contribution on the situation of the rights of migrant women and men in Greece. HLHR’s contribution reflects the overall state of migrant protection in Greece, based on legislation, administrative practice, case law, and available data.

The Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR) has been submitting reports to the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in accordance with Rule 9.2 of the Rules of the Committee of Ministers regarding the Nisiotis group of cases (34704/08).

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 Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR) has published the study titled: “Police, Brutality and Fundamental Rights: An overview of police arbitrariness in Greece”. Drawing on its many years of experience, the HLHR presents a comprehensive study on police violence and arbitrariness in Greece, highlighting the systematic nature of the phenomenon.

The Hellenic League for Human Rights publishes a Good Practice Guide which presents good practices for addressing gender stereotypes when working with young audiences in education and in public discourse spaces, such as the media and advertising, in order to promote equality and inclusion.

Gender stereotypes have long been embedded in our society, persisting as deeply ingrained and pervasive beliefs about the characteristics and roles associated with women and men and are detected, among others, in young audiences and in places of public dialogue, such as the media and advertising.

Executive Summary

Defending and strengthening the rule of law in remains a core priority for Greek civil society against the backdrop of ongoing institutional decline in the country.

Independent organisations Vouliwatch, Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), HIAS Greece, Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR) and Reporters United document persisting deficiencies and emerging threats to the rule of law in Greece in their contribution to the European Commission’s annual monitoring of Member States’ systems through its Rule of Law Report.

On 20 February 2023, the Hellenic League for Human Rights proceeded with a submission to the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the ECtHR, in accordance with Rule 9.2 of the Rules of the Committee of Ministers Concerning the judgment Safi and Others v Greece (5418/15).

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in its judgment Safi and Others v Greece, App No 5418/15, 7.7.2022, examined the application of 14 refugees supported by our organisation on violation of articles 2 (right to life) and 3 (prohibition of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Court held the Greek authorities responsible for the shipwreck that took place on Farmakonisi on 20 January 2014 following the involvement of a Coast Guard vessel, which led to the tragic drowning of eight children and three women, refugees from Afghanistan.

After two years of continuous research, recording and substantial interventions in the process of granting citizenship in our country, we are publishing our final report. The text Towards Improving Access to Greek Citizenship attempts to include all the experience of monitoring the new naturalization system as a whole and synthesize the conclusions drawn from the individual actions of the project during the past two years.

Athens, 28 March 2023: On 17 March, the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) and the Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR) sent a joint letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of migrants, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe and the European Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs.

Communication with the DGI Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Department for the Execution of Judgments of the ECtHR.

This submission has to be read in relation to the report submitted on the 3rd September 2018 and its addendum of the 16th October 2020 on the Nisiotis group of cases regarding the conditions of detention in prisons in Greece. It aims to provide further information on the current state of the art in relation to detention conditions in Greece and the observance of Art. 3 and to comment on legislative measures taken by the government.

Download the pdf file here.