The Advocacy Team works to end detention of people on the move, to end pushbacks and to fortify access to asylum through a fair asylum procedure and independent legal support. Through advocacy, I Have Rights aims to raise awareness, pressure political actors, make recommendations for change, as well as give people seeking safety space to share their experiences and amplify their voices.
ECtHR Condemns Greece For Human Rights Violations Against Seven Anaccompanied Children
The events date back to 2020 at the Samos hotspot, where the minors — now all adults — were subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment as well as human rights violations. The Greek government will be required to compensate them for a total of 41.500 Euros; For the [...]
Greek Ombudsman Condemns Samos CCAC’s Unlawful Practice of Requiring Asylum Seekers to Waive Their Right to Reception Conditions
Samos 24th September 2024 – The Greek Ombudsman has found that the Reception and Identification Service (RIS) at the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC) acted unlawfully. In 2023, asylum seekers were required by the RIS to waive their rights to reception conditions in order to be transferred [...]
Joint Submission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in the cases of M.S.S. v. Belgium and Greece & Rahimi v. Greece
I Have Rights, Equal Legal Aid and Mobile Info Team jointly presented evidence to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the implementation of the M.S.S. v. Belgium and Greece and Rahimi v. Greece cases. Both cases highlighted important issues regarding the treatment of asylum [...]
European Ombudsman opens an inquiry into how the European Union Agency for Asylum addresses allegations of fundamental rights violations in its activities in Greece GalleryEuropean Ombudsman opens an inquiry into how the European Union Agency for Asylum addresses allegations of fundamental rights violations in its activities in Greece
European Ombudsman opens an inquiry into how the European Union Agency for Asylum addresses allegations of fundamental rights violations in its activities in Greece
Press Release, Samos, 17th July - On 11 July, the European Ombudsman opened an inquiry into how the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) addresses allegations of fundamental rights violations in its activities in Greece (case 229/2024/AML). The inquiry is based on a joint complaint against the EUAA [...]
Joint Statement: Lack of interpretation services lengthens existing delays to access asylum and leaves people without protection
On 14th May the main provider of interpreters to the Greek asylum service, Metadrasi, announced the suspension of its services in both Reception and Identification Centres (RICs) and the Asylum Service, due to months of delay in payment by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum (MoMA). As a [...]
I Have Rights calls on the UN Special Rapporteur to Investigate Greece’s Treatment of Trafficking Survivors on Samos
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 [...]