Greece has suspended asylum applications for three months for those arriving by sea in Crete due to the increasing number of refugees crossing from Libya.
In a speech to the Parliament on Wednesday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis indicated that ‘‘emergencies require urgent measures’’, a decision that was met with criticism from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Greek Ombudsman.
The UNHCR explained that the right to asylum is a fundamental human right and that this decision is overly right-wing and causes serious concern. The UNHCR emphasised that while states have the right to manage their borders, such measures must comply with the rule of law, and that returning these individuals without processing their applications is incompatible with international and European law.
The Ombudsman in Greece strongly criticised the government for a legislative amendment suspending asylum applications from individuals arriving by sea from North Africa via irregular means for a period of three months. The Ombudsman stressed that this practice is incompatible with the fundamental principles of international and European Union law.
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