Order to initiate criminal prosecution for homicide with eventual intent against the commander of a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel in the case of the fatal ramming of a boat carrying Syrian and Iranian refugees by the Hellenic Coast Guard off Chios in October 2023.
An appeal lodged by lawyers of the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), against the order of the Prosecutor of the Naval Court of Piraeus — which had dismissed the refugees’ criminal complaint in the case concerning the ramming of their boat by a Coast Guard vessel in the sea area of Nenita, Chios, in October 2023, resulting in the death of one refugee, a husband and father of three children, and the serious injury of several others — has been upheld.
The Prosecutor of the Court of Appeal found, inter alia that there are “specific indications” – “reasonable suspicions” that the Coast Guard vessel rammed the refugees’ boat and that the commander of the Coast Guard vessel foresaw as possible that his actions could cause death or grievous bodily harm and accepted that outcome.
“This legal development is particularly significant, as the Prosecutor of the Court of Appeal took into account, among other elements of the case file, the claims of the victims, which are grounded in common sense, and was not persuaded by the official and irrational narrative of the Coast Guard — according to which the alleged driver of the overloaded inflatable boat supposedly attempted to ram the technologically advanced and larger Coast Guard vessel — but instead concluded that there is reasonable suspicion that the commander of the Coast Guard vessel intentionally rammed the refugees’ boat.” Maria Papamina and Alkistis Agrafioti, the victims’ lawyers from the Legal Unit of the Greek Council for Refugees, stated
Read the full GCR’s Press Release
Related articles in Efsyn & News 24/7
At the same time, an Investigation Report Fundamental Rights Office of FRONTEX into the deadly shipwreck that occurred on 3 April 2025 off Lesvos — in which eight people lost their lives when a boat carrying refugees approaching Lesvos was intercepted by the Hellenic Coast Guard near the shore off Skala Sikamnias — concluded that the dangerous maneuvers carried out by the Hellenic Coast Guard clearly put the lives of the refugees aboard the inflatable boat at risk, thereby violating their right to life. The same report also notes that maneuvers around migrant vessels aimed at deterrence have been documented in previous investigations conducted by the Fundamental Rights Office of FRONTEX.
Plenary Decision of the Council of State: The absolute restriction on access to case file contents is unlawful, even in cases involving classified documents (Council of State Plenary Decision No. 535/2026)
In a decision by its Plenary, the Council of State (CoS [ΣτΕ]), among other things, held that “it must […] be ensured that the person concerned has access at least to the essential content of the specific grounds invoked by the administrative authority in order to establish the legal conditions for the revocation of international protection status, as well as to the essential content of the decisive elements of the case file […] knowledge of this essential content is necessary for the exercise of defense rights, whether in the context of administrative or judicial proceedings" (recital 26). The Plenary Decision of the CoS was issued in the context of a pilot trial concerning an application for annulment against a negative decision by the Appeals Committee of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. By that decision, the refugee status of a Syrian national was revoked on alleged national security grounds, based on classified documents to which the individual had absolutely no access, and an order was issued for his return to his country of origin.
The Plenary Decision of the CoS is particularly significant, especially in light of the Administration’s systematic practice to date of initiating revocation procedures against recognized refugees on alleged national security grounds based on classified documents to which refugees have absolutely no access or knowledge, and therefore no real possibility to exercise their rights of defense and effective remedy. Both the application for the pilot trial before the Council of State and the application for annulment were supported by the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR).
Read also Council of State Decision Changes the Landscape of Asylum Revocations on “National Security Grounds”
Draft law on the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum opened for public consultation amid cuts to child protection services for unaccompanied minors.
"The proposed national legislation for the implementation of the Pact is characterized by the introduction of measures that incorporate/transplant the most restrictive versions of the Pact’s legislative texts, while failing to incorporate/transplant — or doing so inadequately — the limited positive provisions contained in EU legislation, thereby diminishing any positive impact that the implementation of this legislation could have. In some respects, it even introduces provisions that are not compatible with the new EU law,”the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) underlined, among other points, in the comments it submitted during the public consultation.
See more: New asylum bill: Restrictions on the freedom and rights of refugees
At the same time, organizations of the Child Rights Advocacy Network (CRAN), in a joint statement, express serious concern over the continuous weakening and downgrading of services and programmes provided to unaccompanied children in Greece. Among other issues, they point to the closure or gradual suspension of accommodation facilities and the suspension of support actions carried out by the Child Protection Unit for Unaccompanied Children of the Network for Children’s Rights, as a partner of the National Emergency Response Mechanism [E.M.E.A.] in Athens, due to the expiration and non-renewal of the relevant cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Read the full statement here.
Completely unacceptable detention conditions at the Corinth Pre-Removal Detention Centre and the Special Detention Facility in Sintiki
Videos and testimonies document completely unacceptable detention conditions at the Corinth Pre-Removal Detention Centre and the Special Detention Facility in Sintiki (Serres). People sleeping on blankets on the floors of containers, only four toilets for 750 people, and allegations of verbal and physical violence are reported concerning Sintiki. Dirty toilets and showers, torn and filthy mattresses, broken air-conditioning units, lack of hot water for bathing, shortages of soap, and skin diseases are reported concerning the Corinth detention centre
The entirely unsuitable living conditions in detention centres in Greece have by various monitoring mechanisms, including the Council of Europe’s European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, been highlighted which has stressed that pre-removal detention centresdo not provide a suitable environment for holding foreign nationals for prolonged periods" and that "the facilities are not suitably adapted for the detention of foreign nationals.”.
Norwegian court rejects extradition of Tommy Olsen , founder of the Aegean Boat Report– New report documents challenges and obstacles faced by civil society organizations in Greece
A court in Norway rejected the request to extradite Tommy Olsen to Greece following a European arrest warrant issued against him after Greek authorities prosecuted him for facilitating the entry of refugees and participation in a criminal organization. "“I am deeply concerned about the arrest of human rights defender Tommy Olsen in Norway, pending his possible extradition to Greece. I have known Tommy’s work with Aegean Boat Report for years and fear that the charges against him have been brought as direct retaliation for his work defending the rights of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. His prosecution appears to be part of the long-standing and well-documented crackdown on people carrying out such work in Greece and at the EU borders. The case against him should be dropped," the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders stated at the time of his arrest.
According to the Norwegian court’s ruling, the court found that: a) the acts described [by the Greek authorities] do not constitute a criminal offence in Norway, and b) there is a real risk of violation of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights concerning freedom of expression. According to a statement by Aegean Boat Report, the Norwegian Court of Appeal relied on findings by the European Court of Human Rights, UN Special Rapporteurs, and EU Rule of Law reports. These documents record serious concerns regarding pushbacks in Greece and the targeting of human rights defenders working with refugees.
The court further recognized that the activities described by the Greek authorities — documenting violations, gathering information, communicating with refugees, and providing assistance in asylum procedures — constitute protected activities under international law and freedom of expression protections.
Meanwhile, a new report by CINGO (Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations), an advisory body of the Council of Europe, following a mission to Greece, documents the challenges faced by civil society organizations and makes recommendations to the Greek authorities. Among other things, the report stresses that:
- "“the environment in which civil society operates is, in many respects, far from being an enabling one despite NGOs continuing to contribute greatly to the fulfilment of important humanitarian and social objectives.";
- “considerable problems were instanced when it came to the registration of NGOs with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum […] the requirements involved were seen as not only onerous, complex, and time-consuming but also costly (especially for translation of supporting documents) and over-long (sometimes taking years).”;
- "there are also both threats to take action against those NGOs who speak out against official policies and the institution of proceedings that disrupt their activities and the lives of those working for them with such proceedings ultimately being held to be unfounded.”
- “Greece should […] ensure that politicians desist from using hostile rhetoric or making unsubstantiated accusations regarding them.”
