NEWS

New law puts refugees’ rights at risk, NGOs say

New law puts refugees’ rights at risk, NGOs say

A group of 20 non-governmental organizations have sent a joint petition to Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis, arguing that a bill recently passed into law undermines the rights of asylum seekers in Greece.

According to the petition, which was signed by ActionAid Hellas, Medecins du Monde and Arsis among others, the new law makes the asylum process for refugees more precarious, eroding existing guarantees. 

The groups also claim that frequent changes to migration and asylum legislation result in further delays to the processing of claims, a problem that the new bill is ostensibly aimed at addressing. Some of the new provisions could even lead to violations of national and European legislation, they contend.

The bill was passed on Friday night with the backing of the conservative government, while leftist SYRIZA walked out and smaller opposition parties voted against it.

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