Protection Unavailable:
Dysfunctional Practices and Restrictions on the Right to Asylum
Assessing the implementation of reception and identification procedures on mainland Greece
NOVEMBER 2023
“The previous system for applying for asylum through Skype was highly dysfunctional - leaving people excluded from protection for months or years on end, exposed to homelessness, destitution and detention.
Sadly, the new Greek asylum system has not resolved structural deficiencies which deny asylum seekers their basic rights. At the same time, the introduction of mandatory detention in the procedure is deeply concerning, reflecting the increasing incarceration and isolation of people on the move in Greece and evidently leading to detrimental impacts on their psychological health and access to support”
- Alice Troy-Donovan, Research Officer at Mobile Info Team
This report examines the impacts of policy changes in 2021 and 2022 which led to a new system for applying for asylum in mainland Greece, Crete and Rhodes, introduced in September 2022. Under the new procedure for applying for international protection, applicants who cannot prove their identity with a document issued by a Greek public authority must undergo reception and identification procedures within one of two screening facilities on the Greek mainland, located close to Athens and Thessaloniki. The screening procedure is mandatory for most people wishing to apply for asylum in Greece, and involves a police interview, medical check, vulnerability assessment and the registration of the asylum claim. During this procedure applicants’ movement is restricted to the screening facility, for an initial period of five days which may be extended up to 25 days.
Mobile Info Team and Refugee Legal Support argue that, 14 months after the establishment of two RICs for screening and registration of asylum claims on the Greek mainland, access to asylum continues to be highly restricted. After years of mismanagement, structural deficiencies in the Greek asylum system remain, limiting access to international protection and placing people at risk of destitution and detention.
The report documents the experiences of 19 people who applied for asylum after the establishment of the mainland RICs in September 2022. Based on analysis of these testimonies we argue that:
The new system for registering asylum claims on mainland Greece imposes blanket 25-day de facto detention measures on asylum seekers, which limits their ability to access legal support and information to help them understand their rights
The new system does not ensure effective access to international protection within the time frames laid out in Greek and EU law, leaving applicants without access to basic services including healthcare, and vulnerable to arbitrary arrest, detention and possible removal from Greece
Vulnerable persons are not effectively identified in the new system and the screening process does not ensure that applicants have access to adequate medical and psychosocial support
