109 organizations call for immediate withdrawal of Greece’s New Asylum Law
A total of 109 civil society organizations have issued a joint statement condemning a new Greek law that temporarily suspends the right to apply for asylum. The organizations are urging the Greek government to immediately withdraw the legislation and calling on the European Commission to take urgent action to enforce EU law.
The legislation in question—Article 79 of Law 5218/2025, passed by the Hellenic Parliament on Friday, July 11, 2025—suspends for three months the submission of asylum applications from individuals arriving in Greece from North Africa. It also provides for immediate deportation without registration.
The signatory organizations deem this provision illegal and unacceptable, emphasizing that the right to seek asylum and protection from refoulement is non-derogable and guaranteed by international and EU law, which supersedes national legislation. These principles have already been affirmed by several key institutions, including:
The Greek Ombudsman
The National Commission for Human Rights
The Association of Administrative Judges
The Plenary of Greek Bar Associations
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
“We call on the Greek Government to immediately withdraw this unlawful provision and urge the European Commission to take all necessary steps to enforce EU law and end this violation in accordance with its founding responsibilities,” the statement reads.
A Few of the 109 Signatory Organizations Include:
Doctors Without Borders (Greek section)
Amnesty International
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
Human Rights Watch
Greek Council for Refugees
Greek Forum of Migrants
Greek Forum of Refugees
Refugee Support Aegean (RSA)
International Rescue Committee (IRC) Hellas
Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) branches across Europe
Save the Children
EuroMed Rights
PRO ASYL
Athens Pride
ECRE (European Council on Refugees and Exiles)
The statement represents growing resistance from both Greek and international actors against what they describe as an unlawful curtailment of fundamental human rights and protections guaranteed under EU and international law.
