Between January and April 2026, developments in Greece and across the EU reflected a deepening of deterrence-based migration policies, expanding border militarisation, and the growing criminalisation of people on the move and those acting in solidarity with them. Arrivals to Lesvos and across the Northern Aegean have declined significantly, and reports of pushbacks, violent interceptions, disappearances, and deaths at sea continued to increase.
Alongside these developments, in March 2026, a French court opened an investigation into former Frontex director Fabrice Leggeri over alleged complicity in crimes against humanity and torture linked to Frontex operations between 2015 and 2022, including cooperation with authorities in Greece and Libya despite repeated evidence of abuse and illegal pushbacks.
Amid escalating regional tensions, Greece accelerated border securitisation measures. Authorities announced plans to extend the Evros border fence across the entire land border with Turkey, alongside increased surveillance systems, additional border guards, and major investments in military and coast guard infrastructure, including €400 million approved in January for vessels. In March, the Greek Ministry also initiated cooperation with US authorities to intensify deportation efforts and strengthen return procedures.
This broader escalation of deterrence and militarisation coincided with an alarming rise in deaths and disappearances at Greece’s sea borders. Between January and April, at least 81 people were killed and 41 disappeared while attempting to reach Greece from Turkey and Libya, with several shipwrecks reportedly linked to violent interventions or pushbacks carried out by the Greek or Turkish Coast Guard.
Inside the Lesvos Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC), conditions remained deeply concerning. Asylum seekers continued to face inadequate access to healthcare and regular cash assistance, while strict curfews and arbitrary movement restrictions remained in place. Recognised refugees continued to face forced evictions shortly after receiving asylum status, including in cases involving serious vulnerabilities. Following the implementation of Law 5226/2025, rejected asylum seekers increasingly faced immediate arrest and prosecution for “illegal stay” directly after receiving negative asylum decisions. This law fails to provide individuals with a realistic opportunity to comply with its requirements before facing criminalisation.
At the same time, Greece continued advancing the controversial EU-funded CCAC project in Vastria despite strong environmental concerns and local opposition. Plans for a desalination plant intended to supply water to the isolated camp moved forward after previous drilling projects reportedly failed, reflecting the government’s continued commitment to expanding isolated closed-camp infrastructure on the Aegean islands despite mounting concerns regarding environmental impact, cost, and human rights implications.
Legal and policy developments during the reporting period further intensified the criminalisation of migration and solidarity. Law 5275/2026 introduced harsher penalties for smuggling-related offences, while also targeting organisations working with people on the move through heightened administrative controls and aggravating sentencing provisions linked to organisational affiliation. These developments contributed to an increasingly hostile environment for civil society and solidarity work in Greece.
Simultaneously, asylum procedures on Lesvos became increasingly restrictive and politicised. Greece revoked the refugee status of 1,203 Syrians despite ongoing instability in Syria, reportedly suspended the processing of Iranian asylum applications amid escalating regional conflict, and continued the systematic misregistration of Eritrean asylum seekers as Ethiopian nationals in Lesvos, undermining access to protection. The Legal Centre Lesvos additionally documented increased asylum rejections of Afghan men and prolonged delays affecting French-speaking asylum seekers from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Against this backdrop, Legal Centre Lesvos continued to provide legal representation and support to hundreds of people affected by border violence, detention, criminalisation, and barriers to asylum while continuing to challenge the normalisation of violence, impunity, and exclusion at Europe’s borders.
In this report you will find updates on:
- The escalation of deterrence-based migration policies and border militarisation in Greece
- Pushbacks, violent interceptions, disappearances, and deaths at sea in the Aegean
- Expanding surveillance infrastructure, deportation policies, and border enforcement measures in Greece
- Conditions inside the Lesvos CCAC, including healthcare gaps, movement restrictions, evictions, and criminalisation of asylum seekers
- The continued development of the controversial Vastria closed camp project despite environmental and local opposition
- New legal measures intensifying the criminalisation of migration and solidarity in Greece
- Restrictive and politicised asylum procedures affecting Syrians, Iranians, Eritreans, Afghans, and French-speaking asylum seekers
- Legal interventions and advocacy work carried out by Legal Centre Lesvos in response to border violence, detention, and barriers to protection