Athens, 16 January 2025 - The Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) organized today, 16 January 2025, at the Athens Bar Association, a press conference on: ECtHR’s Judgment v. Greece – Greece condemned for the first time by the European Court of Human Rights for a pushback in Evros.

This judgment, the first conviction of Greece by the ECtHR for a pushback case, is a landmark decision and brings to the fore important issues regarding the rule of law in Greece.

At the press conference, GCR lawyers Maria Papamina, Alexandros Konstantinou and Clotilde Prountzou presented the key points of the decision and highlighted its wider implications. Important interventions were also made by Pavlos Eleftheriadis, Professor of Law at NYU Abu Dhabi and a lawyer at Francis Taylor Building in London, and Elias Tsampardoukas, Supervisor of the National Human Rights Commission's (NHRC) Informal Forced Returns Recording Mechanism.

After the press conference, the participants made the following statements:

• Maria Papamina, GCR Legal Service Coordinator:
  "This is a landmark judgment of the European Court of Human Rights. The recognition by the Court that pushbacks constitute a systematic practice of the Greek authorities is a vindication for the thousands of victims who have been denouncing this illegal practice for many years. The Greek authorities must finally stop pushbacks and the Greek judiciary must finally hold accountable those responsible for such policies and practices, which violate international and Greek law and constitute a serious blow to the rule of law in Greece."
• Clotilde Prountzou, GCR Lawyer:
  "The ECtHR concludes that "the applicant's case is merely one of many cases that demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the criminal procedure with regard to complaints of pushback". This admission is worrying for the administration of justice in Greece and highlights the significant gaps and deficiencies in the investigation of criminal complaints concerning pushbacks by the Greek authorities. This condemnation of Greece by the ECtHR calls for a thorough and effective investigation of the relevant allegations and accountability."
• Alexandros Constantinou, GCR Lawyer:
  "The Court's decision can be the starting point for setting a limit to a practice which - as the Court found - is systematic, is illegal and puts human lives at serious risk. It is at the same time an important reminder of the obligations of the Greek authorities, and of the European States in general, towards persons seeking protection on European territory, but also a reminder of the significant inadequacy of the Greek judiciary to investigate effectively complaints of pushbacks."
• Ilias Tsampardoukas, Supervisor of the Mechanism for Recording Incidents of Informal Forced Returns, EIDHR:
  "This decision has wider implications beyond this particular case. It recognises the systematic practice of informal forced returns by the Greek authorities and emphatically underlines the need for transparent and independent investigations into allegations and for measures to be taken to ensure that Greece fully complies with the principle of non-refoulement."
• Pavlos Eleftheriadis, Professor of Law at NYU Abu Dhabi and a lawyer at Francis Taylor Building in London:

"The decision is a vindication for both victims and human rights defenders who have been vilified or even targeted for their interventions. It is also terribly worrying that the ECtHR has admitted that there is systematic parastatalism in Greece. This means that there is a complete breakdown of the rule of law in our country. The court also asks us a relentless question: who is the head of this parastate? A freelance thug who has controlled the security forces? Someone from within the state, e.g. the NIS or the coast guard. Or is it - the worst case scenario - a political figure within the government? The Greek judiciary must urgently seek the answer."

The Greek Council for Refugees remains committed to defending the rights of refugees and strengthening the protection of human rights in Greece.

For more information, please contact Kostas Vlachopoulos, Communications Officer of the Greek Council for Refugees: k.vlachopoulos@gcr.gr

Information note with key points of the decision in Greek and English here and here