New Years should start with good resolutions, in particular when the past year was full of nonsense.
We hope for an end to the administrative kafkaesque nightmares faced by migrants who arrive to Greece. Based on last year’s experiences of procedural nightmares and harmful policies, some of which were gathered in our Nonsense Of The Month publications, we would like to recommend a few resolutions for the Greek authorities in 2025.
Resolution Nr. 1: Stop pushbacks and killings in 2025! Take responsibility for border violence and stop denying.
In the Nonsense of June/July 2024, we highlighted how Greece was trying to get away with pushbacks, even before the European Court of Human Rights. While Greece’s representatives continue to pretend that the violent pushbacks of migrants are not happening at their borders, damning evidence continues to pile up. The question is no longer whether the EU and Greece will one day be held accountable for these crimes against humanity, but rather when – hopefully in 2025 !
Read more about LCL’s efforts to challenge border violence.
Resolution Nr. 2: Respect people’s fundamental right to family life. Allow refugees to reunify with their loved ones!
As shown in the Nonsense of August 2024, recognised refugees who want to settle in Greece remain separated from their family members for years and continue to face insurmountable obstacles when trying to reunify with their loved ones. What is supposed to be their right, becomes impossible in practice because of the failure of the Greek administration and competent ministries. Only a very few actually manage to exercise their right to family reunification. Read about our work against the systematic issues and obstacles faced by applicants to family reunification in Greece.
Resolution Nr. 3: Stamps are so 2024. Stop excessive bureaucracy!
One of the most essential steps for any person going through the asylum procedures is to find a lawyer that can represent them. As highlighted in our Nonsense of September 2024, the Greek administration came up with a series of new requirements for certified signatures and stamps which made it impossible for many migrants to even authorise their lawyer. Excessive bureaucracy is in no one’s interest – stop it!
Resolution Nr. 4: Look at a map once in a while. Eritrea and Ethiopia are two different countries and nationalities.
In the Summer 2023, the asylum service of Lesvos started a new arbitrary trend: they unilaterally decided that most Eritrean asylum seekers were actually of Ethiopian nationality. This unjustified practice, detailed in the Nonsense of February 2024, negatively impacted hundreds of asylum seekers over months, who, as a result, saw their case rejected, delayed or had to undergo additional interviews. Such practices are disrespectful and unjustified, they not only disregard people’s history but also jeopardise their access to asylum.
Resolution Nr. 5: Be more honest. Do not assume that people lie because they come from a different place. Stop discriminatory decisions!
Decisions issued by the Greek asylum service, with the support of the EUAA, often consider that claims related to customs, traditions and beliefs from other countries – in particular secret societies, voodoo or black magic from West African countries – are not credible nor likely to create a well-founded fear of persecution. As explained in the Nonsense of April 2024, this is in contradiction with the fact that persecution can take many forms, regardless of whether or not we are aware of, or share the beliefs of people fleeing harm. Biased, discriminatory credibility assessments must stop!
Resolution Nr. 6: Apply your own laws. If you find that someone has a well-founded fear of persecution, give them refugee status.
Challenging procedural mistakes and unfair technicalities in the asylum procedures is the daily bread of asylum seekers in Lesvos and of the legal organisations that support them. Since the March 2016 EU-Turkey Deal, thousands of asylum seekers have been stuck on Lesvos for months or even years with no realistic remedy or alternative, or ability to move off the island. This is due to unfair policies implemented by the asylum services, often not in line with Greek and European laws. The kafkaesque nightmare faced by Farhad in the Nonsense of December 2023 is an illustration of these policies.
Resolution Nr. 7: No more #ΠΕΡΙΜΕΝΕ. Does it really take a year to renew an ID?
Patience is a virtue, which is regularly tested by refugees in Greece, in particular when required to renew their residence permits and travel documents. What should be routine, commonly takes over a year. An incomprehensible delay during which beneficiaries of international protection are unjustifiably deprived of some of their essential rights, like the right to travel outside of Greece. Read the Nonsense of January 2024, highlighting the case of Fatima, a woman trying to have a normal life as a refugee in Greece while going through the never-ending renewal process of her documents.
Resolution Nr. 8: Look into trauma-informed ways of working. Always believe victims of Female Genital Mutilation.
People seeking asylum in Greece are too often rejected on the ground of ‘Lack of Credibility”. In other words the Greek asylum service and the EUAA simply do not believe them. As shown in the Nonsense of March 2024, this even happened – against all odds – in the case of a survivor of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) who during her interview presented medical documentation of the gender-based violence they suffered. This is unacceptable and survivors of any type of gender-based violence should start from the position of being believed.
Resolution Nr. 9: Stop the criminalisation of migrants. Justice for the victims and survivors of the state crime of Pylos!
In 2024 alone, Greek authorities have reported a 53% increase in the number of arrests for people smuggling compared to the previous year. Like in the case of the Pylos 9, detailed in the Nonsense of May 2024, unjustly accused and imprisoned for nearly a year, arrests and prosecution of migrants under smuggling charges happen without any proof or based on the dubious testimonies by border agents. The systematic criminalisation of migration must stop! Read about LCL’s criminal defence and litigation work against the criminalisation of migration.
Resolution Nr. 10: Do not detain children! We cannot believe we have to say this in 2025: people, let alone children, should not be held in camps.
Last year was, once more, the occasion of multiple and systematic rights violations for people forced to live in immiserating and undignified conditions in Greece’s CCACs. Cherry on the cake: the number of children exposed to these alarming conditions have doubled in 2024. As shown in the Nonsense of October 2024, in Lesvos, many of the unaccompanied children were unceremoniously detained inside the camp due to the lack of space in adequate shelters for minors.