Announcements | Hellenic League for Human Rights

Joint Civil Society Statement on the Migration Ministry bill

Written on 20/01/2026.

Working for an organisation registered in the “NGO Registry” of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum becomes a punishable offence with the proposed changes to Articles 24 and 25 of the Migration Code.

After five years of constant recommendations from the European Commission, the Council of Europe and the UN to put an end to arbitrary restrictions on the work of civil society organisations supporting refugees and migrants, the Ministry continues to target the organisations deemed inconvenient solely for carrying out their work.

Pylos shipwreck: Criminal prosecution on felony charges against the current head of the Coast Guard and senior members of its leadership

Written on 14/11/2025.

Appeals by survivors of the tragic shipwreck accepted

Greece: Government systematic constraints and politically motivated accusations against migrants rights NGOs must end!

Written on 27/09/2025.

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.

Concern Over the Worsening Climate Against Refugees and Migrants in Political and Public Discourse

Written on 15/07/2025.

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.

Joint Statement on the EU-Israel Association Agreement Review

Written on 19/06/2025.

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.

Joint Statement: Neither an accident nor an incident – A brutal crime in the Aegean Sea

Written on 04/03/2025.

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.

DEMOCRACY WITH NO AIR: The State of the Rule of Law in Greece Today

Written on 04/02/2025.

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.

STRUGGLE FOR ACCOUNTABILIT: The State of the Rule of Law in Greece

Written on 04/02/2025.

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.

Closure of the preliminary investigation by the prosecution of the Piraeus Maritime Court on the Pylos shipwreck

Written on 23/12/2024.

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

Greece: EU Ignores Deteriorating Rule of Law

Written on 01/08/2024.

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.

Pylos 9: Announcement on their trail in Kalamata

Written on 22/05/2024.

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.

Category: Announcements