GREVIO evaluation report on the implementation of the Council of Europe convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.
Press Release Samos, Greece - I Have Rights (IHR) and The Human Rights Legal Project (HRLP) has submitted a joint report to the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) on the violations of the Istanbul Convention in [...]
Joint Statement: Shutdown of the Greek Asylum Service database leaves people unable to claim asylum and in limbo
Between 5th May and 7th June 2023, most of the operations of Greek asylum authorities under the umbrella of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum (MoMA) were halted due to an upgrade of the Asylum Service’s database, Alkyoni. During this period, no operations involving the Alkyoni system could [...]
“They are killing minds”- Life in the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre
In a report out on International Refugee Day, I Have Rights shares testimonies of people held in the EU-Funded Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC). Vathy, 20th August 2023 (International Refugee Day) - A report out today provides testimony from people who are or have been accommodated in [...]
Policy Brief on evidence of Aegean pushbacks
Following the video evidence published on May 19th by the New York Times, I Have Rights (IHR) and the Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN) sent a joint briefing to Members of Parliament, sharing data and testimonies of survivors of pushbacks in the Aegean recorded over the last two years. [...]
Submission to the European Commission for the Have Your Say initiative on fighting human trafficking.
The European Commission recently decided to review the EU Anti-Trafficking directive, and IHR has provided feedback on the proposed revisions. We believe that survivors of trafficking should be given the opportunity to disclose their experiences at all points of the asylum procedure. As the Northern Aegean islands are [...]
Input to the OHCHR Secretary-General Report on the Human Rights of Migrants: Key challenges relating to immigration detention in Greece
Joint submission from I Have Rights and Mobile Info Team, with the support of the Border Violence Monitoring Network. In this submission we present key challenges and recommendations relating to formal immigration detention and de facto detention in Greece. We identify systemic challenges, as well as contextual differences, in [...]
Letter from people in the Samos CCAC
This letter was shared with us from people that are currently protesting in the Samos Closed Controlled Access Center (CCAC). With their permission, we are sharing it here. AGENDA OF THE PROTEST Greetings from the Concern Asylum Seekers of the Samos Camp. For quite too long, we have been [...]
Joint Statement: Call for the Closure of the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre
As actors on the island who work to defend the rights of people on the move, we are deeply concerned about the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre’s (CCAC) compliance with human rights standards and have, since its opening, called for its closure and for people to be accommodated within [...]
Appeals Authority overrule the asylum service’s decision to put a vulnerable person through the accelerated procedure
Case Study In an asylum case where I Have Rights provided legal aid, the Greek Appeals Authority ruled that the Regional Asylum Office of Samos failed to consider an asylum seeker’s vulnerability when subjecting her to the accelerated asylum procedure and rejected her claim on credibility grounds. [...]
Young mother successfully sues the Greek Government for the treatment she suffered as a pregnant woman in the “hotspot” on Samos
Press Release For the first time, the European Court of Human Rights has condemned the living conditions faced by an asylum seeker in a Greek hotspot as inhumane and degrading treatment. It found a violation of Article 3 of the Convention and awarded the applicant 5000 Euro [...]
Samos organisations present evidence of systematic human rights violations against people on the move to Council of Europe in the implementation of the Safi judgement
Press Release Samos organisations, I Have Rights and the Human Rights Legal Project, present evidence to the Council of Europe on systematic human rights violations against people on the move in Greece, including torture, pushbacks and lack of investigations into such violations. VATHY, 24 March 2023 [...]
The EU-Funded Closed Controlled Access Centre – The De Facto Detention of Asylum Seekers on Samos
Press Release In their report out today, I Have Rights demonstrates that the Samos CCAC is a place of unlawful de facto detention which violates people on the move’s legal right to liberty and security as well as the prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment under international [...]











