Greece

Greek National Commission for Human Rights

The Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR) maintains very close relationship with NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs), while monitoring very closely the situation regarding civil society space and the protection of human rights defenders. Not only prominent NGOs and CSOs form part of the GNCHR Plenary, but the GNCHR also maintains within its premises the Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN). This was established in 2011 by the GNCHR and the Greek Office of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

Greek National Commission for Human Rights

In 2022, the Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR) established a Recording Mechanism of Informal Forced Returns, which brings together 11 NGOs active in the fields of migration and asylum. The Recording Mechanism provides a “protective shield” for its member organisations. They are operating in a generally hostile environment in Greece, where civil society actors engaged with refugee and migration issues often face pressure from both state and non-state actors.

The Recording Mechanism was created by a decision of the GNCHR plenary in September 2021 as the Greek NHRI’s institutional response to two major challenges: (a) the absence of an official and effective data collection mechanism for informal forced returns, and (b) the need for coordination among organisations that had been recording such incidents on their own initiative, based on testimonies from alleged victims.

The GNCHR drew from past best practice, such as the Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN), which has been operating since 2011, and is jointly coordinated by GNCHR and the UNHCR Office in Greece. The Recording Mechanism provides the tools and the methodology to enhance NGOs’ capacity and knowledge to record testimonies of informal forced returns. The UNHCR Office in Greece, as a co-operating agency, provides technical support and advice to its operation. Amnesty International participates as an observer in the initiative. As a result, member NGOs of the Recording Mechanism can continue their field activities, including the recording of testimonies, under the umbrella of the Greek NHRI and without any interference by state authorities.

Since its establishment, the Recording Mechanism has published three Annual Reports (2022, 2023 and 2024), which have been formally submitted to the Greek authorities as well as to international and regional human rights bodies. In addition, the findings of the Recording Mechanism have informed the GNCHR’s third-party intervention before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the cases A.R.E v Greece and G.R.J. v Greece, further strengthening its contribution to accountability and the enforcement of the principle of non-refoulement.

Greek National Commission for Human Rights

The Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR) closely monitors the execution of European Court of Human Rights judgments, including those related to human rights defenders. In August 2018, the GNCHR submitted to the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers its Recommendations under Rule 9(2) with regard to the immediate full compliance of the Greek government with the landmark Court judgment Chowdury and Others v. Greece (known as the “Manolada case”). Two years later, in June 2020, it made an additional Communication on the assessment of the level of compliance of the Greek State with the GNCHR’s recommendations on the Chowdury judgment.

In another emblematic case for the protection of human rights, the Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN) – an initiative of the Commission and UNHCR in Greece – activated the same procedure under Rule 9(2), in December 2020, by submitting a communication for the supervision of the execution of judgments and the terms of friendly settlements, relating to the case of Sakir v. Greece.

Greek National Commission for Human Rights

In its submission to ENNHRI’s 2022 Rule of Law report, the Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR) expressed concern about an increasingly hostile environment for human rights defenders. This particularly affected organisations and activists working with refugees, migrants, and the LGBTI+ community. Consequently, the GNCHR approved in principle the adoption of a bill on “Recognition and Protection of Human Rights Defenders”. This was brought before the Commission’s Plenary by the Greek Transgender Support Association (SYD), a member of the Commission. The bill aims to ensure that human rights defenders are free from attacks, reprisals and unreasonable restrictions. Moreover, all human rights defenders should be able to work in a safe and supportive environment. In this context, the GNCHR considered establishing its own focal point for human rights defenders.