The Greek Council for Refugees, in a joint statement issued together with 14 more organizations which are active in the field, urges the Greek government to immediately reverse its recent decision, according to which asylum-seekers on the Greek islands who appeal negative asylum decisions are excluded from the possibility of participating later in the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programme, while those who wish to participate in the AVRR are forced to forego their right to appeal. This decision follows the direction set by the recommendations in the European Commission's and the Greek Government’s Joint Action Plan on the European Union (EU) – Turkey Statement of March 18 2016, which aims to limit the steps in the appeals process and remove so called “administrative obstacles to swift voluntary return”. As outlined in the statement, this practice jeopardizes the right of asylum seekers to a fair asylum process as provided by EU law, and has a coercive effect on their decision to return to their country of origin.

You can read the statement here