The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, conducted a visit Greece from 3 to 7 February, during which he focused on the protection of human rights in the context of border control operations and on the human rights of Roma.
The Commissioner acknowledged the challenges posed by arrivals of asylum-seeking and migrant people, in view of Greece’s geographical location and the persistently insufficient levels of European solidarity. Greece also faces an evolving context, with new routes to Crete and Rhodes emerging. Against this background, the Commissioner welcomes the Greek authorities’ cautious approach regarding the status of Syrian asylum seekers (see the Commissioner’s statement of 10 December 2024).
During his visit, the Commissioner focused on the tragic Pylos shipwreck of June 2023, in which an estimated 750 people died. He met with the Greek Ombudsman, who had just completed the report on his inquiry into actions and omissions of members of the Greek Coast Guard during the handling of the incident on 13 and 14 June 2023, as well as with survivors, lawyers and NGOs supporting them. The Commissioner, who liaises closely with the Ombudsman, notes his important findings and encourages the authorities to take resolute action to ensure appropriate criminal and disciplinary accountability.
Several interlocutors of the Commissioner drew his attention to reports of continued summary returns, often accompanied by violence, at both land and sea borders. In the light of the recent findings of the European Court of Human Rights regarding strong indications of the existence of a systematic practice of “pushbacks” of third-country nationals by the Greek authorities, the Commissioner urged Greece to adopt a zero-tolerance approach and hold those responsible accountable.
The Commissioner also highlighted the importance of independent human rights monitoring in the context of border control operations and encourages the authorities to ensure that new mechanisms set up under the EU Pact on Asylum and Migration are effective. He recommends that they follow the guidance by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture, and the Fundamental Rights Agency of the European Union.
Noting the sharp increase in arrivals on Rhodes and Crete, as well as the overcrowding in several existing facilities on other islands, the Commissioner called for adequate reception facilities, in line with international standards, and for rapid transfers, especially of unaccompanied minors, from the islands to the mainland.
He expressed his gratitude to the Greek authorities for their cooperation and for the open discussions.
Always in relation to migration issues, on 13 February, the Commissioner intervened in three hearings before the European Court of Human Rights in cases against Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, encouraging the Court to reaffirm that non-refoulement obligations must be upheld without exception.
