UNLAWFUL
UNJUST
UNREASONABLE
United against the Greek bill that criminalises humanitarian aid
Last week, we celebrated the acquittal of 24 aid workers who had been prosecuted in Greece since 2018 for the so-called “crime” of helping people in need on the move. The acquittal finally brought justice.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there.
The Greek bill
The Greek government has introduced a new legislative proposal that further criminalises humanitarian aid:
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Working for an organisation registered in the NGO registry of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum would turn even minor acts, such as handing out water to people on the shore, into a criminal offence punishable by up to ten years in prison.
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At the same time, the organisation would be immediately de-registered from the NGO registry.
Registration is required in order to provide aid in reception facilities. This process is long and cumbersome, marked by arbitrariness and a lack of transparency, and has been heavily criticised by, among others, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, and the United Nations.
Systematic criminalisation and intimidation
The new legislative proposal fits into a broader trend: a systematic attempt to criminalise people on the move, and to put pressure on organisations that provide essential aid and advocate for refugees. The consequences are real and severe: for aid workers, for aid organisations, and most of all for the people who depend on life-saving assistance.
For the past five years, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, and the United Nations have urged the Greek government to end arbitrary restrictions on the work of organisations supporting refugees and migrants. Yet the ministry continues to find new ways to make it impossible for aid organisations to do what they exist to do: provide essential help to those who need it most.
Together with more than 50 other organisations, we are calling for the immediate withdrawal of these provisions. This legislative proposal is unjust, unlawful, and unreasonable.
Stop the criminalisation of solidarity.
Stop the intimidation of aid organisations.
Make room for essential assistance to people on the move.