Amnesty International has called on Greece to immediately reverse its decision to suspend asylum applications from migrants arriving by sea from North Africa, particularly Libya. The move, passed by the Greek Parliament on 11 July, halts asylum claims for three months and authorises the return of migrants to their countries of origin.
Adriana Tidona, Amnesty’s Migration Researcher, condemned the policy as a blatant violation of international law. “These shameful proposals will not improve conditions for refugees and migrants already in Crete and Gavdos – they will only punish people seeking protection,” she said. Tidona warned that denying asylum rights based on arrival methods is discriminatory and undermines refugee protections.
The Greek government has also announced plans to establish a detention facility in Crete to hold irregular arrivals. Amnesty warned this could result in automatic and arbitrary detention, in breach of EU and international laws.
Amnesty urged the European Commission to act swiftly, demanding that Greece reverses the measures. The group also called for infringement procedures to be initiated if necessary, warning that failure to respond would damage the credibility of the EU’s Common European Asylum System.
This comes amid heightened migration flows from Libya to Crete and Gavdos in early 2025. Greece’s Prime Minister announced new plans to coordinate with Libyan authorities to stop departures from the North African country. Amnesty previously criticised EU support for Libyan efforts to intercept migrants, citing widespread detention and abuse.
An NGO report released on 7 July noted severe reception and accommodation issues for new arrivals in Crete. Human rights groups fear that Greece is repeating its 2020 approach, when similar emergency measures led to documented pushbacks and abuses.
The decision follows a failed EU delegation visit to eastern Libya, where officials were declared “persona non grata” and expelled.
