Austerity measures adopted over the past decade continued to erode the accessibility and affordability of health care. Allegations of torture and other ill-treatment and excessive use of force by police persisted. More pushbacks of refugees and migrants at land and sea were reported. In a historic...

UPDATE: The 50 people seeking safety, including 12 children, three pregnant women and a 70-year-old woman with diabetes have reportedly been pushed back to Turkey.  According to information provided by the Greek Council for Refugees and HumanRights360, the two legal organizations representing the...

The eviction of the PIKPA refugee shelter in Lesvos was carried out in the morning of 30 October. Unaccompanied minors had been transferred to mainland Greece ahead of the eviction. The 74 remaining at the shelter, including adults and families with children were transferred to the small camp at...

Greek authorities intend to close the open, self-organised refugee shelter PIKPA on 15 October. PIKPA has been operating in Lesvos since 2012, hosting and assisting thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers among the most vulnerable. Greek authorities must revoke the decision to close PIKPA, let the...

The Greek government issued a new decision on 31 January granting a ‘temporary number for insurance and healthcare’ to asylum seekers, providing access to free public health care and the labour market while they wait for a decision on their claim. While implementation remains to be seen, this...

Since July 2019 asylum-seekers and children of irregular migrants are prevented from accessing the public health system in Greece. An asylum law introduced in November has regulated the issue but implementing measures are still lacking, putting the life and health of thousands of children and...

The three refugee camps in the Elliniko area, Athens, were evacuated on 2 June. The majority of refugees and migrants still in the sites were transferred by bus to alternative camps. In the last days before the evacuation residents were finally asked about their specific circumstances but it is...

Over a thousand refugees and migrants face uninhabitable and unsafe conditions in three camps in Elliniko, Athens. Women and girls are at risk of sexual and gender-based violence. The authorities must urgently provide residents with adequate alternative housing, following a genuine consultation,...

Noori, a 21-year-old Syrian refugee, continues to be unlawfully detained in a police station on the Greek island of Lesvos. He has been in detention since 9 September and is awaiting to find out whether he will be forcibly returned to Turkey under the EU-Turkey deal. The uncertainty he has been...

A Syrian refugee is at risk of being forcibly returned from Greece to Turkey under the EU-Turkey deal. His asylum application was dismissed on the grounds that Turkey is a “safe third country.” A decision on his appeal before Greek courts is expected within days. He is currently in police custody...

The first two Syrian refugees that became at risk of being forcibly returned to Turkey under the illegal EU-Turkey deal have now been released from detention. In both cases a court has also ordered the suspension of their deportation until other court hearings take place at the end of September.

The first two known Syrian refugees that became at risk of being forcibly returned to Turkey under the illegal EU-Turkey deal are challenging the decision on their asylum application before the Greek courts. However, their deportations have not been stopped and they remain at imminent risk of being...

Two Syrian refugees are the first at risk of being forcibly returned to Turkey under the illegal EU-Turkey deal, after their asylum applications were dismissed by the Greek authorities. They are currently in police custody in the Greek island of Lesvos and at imminent risk of return to Turkey,...