The HELP/UNHCR course on the ECHR and asylum is being launched in Athens on 11 May 2016 for a first pilot group of 30 Greek lawyers, in cooperation with the Athens bar Association (and the CCBE as a partner) in the context of a wider conference on the the protection of asylum-seekers in Greece and the ECHR. The event will also include a seminar on the protection of the vulnerable asylum-seekers in the ECHR with a particular focus on SOGI claims organised in cooperation with the CoE Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Unit.

According to the HELP methodology, the course has been adapted to the Greek legal order (taking into account the evolving national legislation and the evolving case law of the ECtHR) and translated into Greek language.

Shortly after the event, the course will be made available on the HELP e-learning platform as a self-learning material so that all the lawyers will have access to it.

In terms of content, the course covers the key provisions of the ECHR relating to asylum and ECtHR related case law (Art. 3 (prohibition of torture) as a non-refoulement ground, Art. 5 regarding protection from arbitrary and unlawful detention, Art. 8 regarding family reunification of refugees and Article 13 combined with Art. 3 regarding the right to an effective remedy in the asylum procedure and/or expulsion procedure.