C. Schmitz

In a recent communication to the Special Rapporteur, I Have Rights urgently called for an investigation into Greece's treatment of survivors of human trafficking on the island of Samos. This plea comes as a follow-up to an initial confidential complaint dated 23 October 2022, which highlighted systemic failures in identifying, protecting, and supporting [...]

15 May 2024 - On Tuesday 21 May 2024, the trial of 9 of the survivors (the ‘Pylos 9’) from the shipwreck of the fishing vessel “Adriana”, that occurred on 14 June 2023 in international waters near Pylos, is scheduled to take place before the Three Member Felony Court of Appeals of Kalamata. [...]

Samos, 19 April 2024 – Yesterday, in the case of, A.R. and Others v. Greece (Appl. No. Applications nos. 59841/19 and 2 others) the European Court of Human Rights delivered a decisive verdict, condemning the treatment of three asylum seekers in the hotspots of Kos, Samos and Chios. One of the applicants, W.A.(Appl. [...]

Today, I Have Rights, Legal Centre Lesvos and de:border // migration justice publish a joint statement highlighting systemic unaccountability at the EU's external border. The statement is in response to the European Ombudsperson’s decision, published on 28 February 2024, following its own-initiative strategic inquiry concerning the role of Frontex in the context of [...]

85 Civil Society Organisations Call on MEPs to Uphold Fundamental Rights and Reject the Harmful Schengen Borders Code Recast. Despite repeated warnings from Civil Society Organisations, EU lawmakers have reached an agreement on the Schengen Borders Code reform which will be voted on in the LIBE Committee next week. The legislative file that [...]

The European Court of Human Rights has granted Interim Measures with regards to a mother and baby held in the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre. The Court orders the Greek Authorities to accommodate the Applicants in safe and suitable accommodation. Samos, 7 February 2024 - On 05/02/2024, in the case of H.T. and [...]

31st January 2024 - Today, civil society organisations unite their voices to denounce the inhumane and degrading living conditions in the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC) and the continued failure to uphold human rights standards. We, the undersigned organisations, once again call for the closure of the Samos CCAC and for adequate [...]

Following a joint complaint made by Avocats Sans Frontieres France, I Have Rights and Human Rights Legal Project, the Greek Ombudsman has found that the Reception and Identification Service (RIS) of the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC) unlawfully restricts lawyers’ access to the site. In the complaint, [...]

Samos, 18 January 2024 – Today, in the case of T.K. v. Greece (Application No. 16112/20), the European Court of Human Rights delivered a decisive verdict, condemning the treatment of an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child on the Greek island of Samos. The Court found that the wrong registration of the applicant as an adult [...]