Joint statement by Refugee Legal Support, Mobile Info Team and Equal Rights Beyond Borders. Cover image shows people waiting outdoors to attend doctors appointments in Malakasa RIC.
In November 2023, Mobile Info Team (MIT) and Refugee Legal Support (RLS) published a report highlighting a number of serious deficiencies in the procedure for claiming asylum on the Greek mainland.
One year later, together with Equal Rights Beyond Borders (ERBB), we highlight the unlawful practices, delays and dysfunction that are depriving people of their legal rights.
We’re calling for an overhaul of this registration system as it unlawfully detains asylum seekers and denies them access to fundamental rights. It forces people seeking international protection to endure detention in remotely located camps with limited access to healthcare and basic necessities.
People are often unable to even access the registration system, due to the online platform being unavailable, or a lack of appointments at Malakasa Reception and Identification Centre.
We’re calling on the Greek State to act according to its legal obligations and
- Ensure uninterrupted access to the online platform to register for asylum
- End the deprivation of liberty applicants for international protection for the purpose of reception and identification procedures
- Recognise people as applicants for international protection and ensure full access to adequate reception conditions
- Ensure that people who are eligible for family reunification, including unaccompanied minors, are registered without delay
- Desist from detaining people before their appointments to register claims for asylum, and ensure the immediate release of any such person from pre-removal detention centres
- Ensure the living conditions in Reception and Identification Centres are humane and meet the basic standards for dignified living, with access to healthcare, psychosocial support, follow-up treatment, and information regarding their legal situation and rights in a language they understand
You can read the full statement below:
