Joint Civil Society Statement on the Migration Ministry bill

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Working for an organisation registered in the “NGO Registry” of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum becomes a punishable offence with the proposed changes to Articles 24 and 25 of the Migration Code.

After five years of constant recommendations from the European Commission, the Council of Europe and the UN to put an end to arbitrary restrictions on the work of civil society organisations supporting refugees and migrants, the Ministry continues to target the organisations deemed inconvenient solely for carrying out their work.

The mere membership of an organisation registered in the NGO Registry elevates misdemeanours such as facilitation of illegal stay, or refusal to hand a travel document, to felonies punishable by up to ten years’ imprisonment and fines of tens of thousands of euros. It is thus considered an aggravating circumstance sufficient to reclassify the offence as a felony, in an affront to fundamental principles of criminal policy and legislation. Mere criminal prosecution suffices for removal of the organisation from the Registry.

These provisions are intended to intimidate civil society. They are introduced only a few months after the Minister of Migration and Asylum made threats against the legal representatives of people who arrived in Crete during the unlawful three-month asylum ban and were protected from deportation by interim measures of the European Court of Human Rights. These attacks were immediately condemned by international and national institutions, yet the competent Minister refuses to retract them.

For the undersigned organisations, this attempt is unjust, unlawful, and unreasonable. We call for the immediate withdrawal of these provisions.

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DATE
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
To
Subject

Working for an organisation registered in the “NGO Registry” of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum becomes a punishable offence with the proposed changes to Articles 24 and 25 of the Migration Code.

After five years of constant recommendations from the European Commission, the Council of Europe and the UN to put an end to arbitrary restrictions on the work of civil society organisations supporting refugees and migrants, the Ministry continues to target the organisations deemed inconvenient solely for carrying out their work.

The mere membership of an organisation registered in the NGO Registry elevates misdemeanours such as facilitation of illegal stay, or refusal to hand a travel document, to felonies punishable by up to ten years’ imprisonment and fines of tens of thousands of euros. It is thus considered an aggravating circumstance sufficient to reclassify the offence as a felony, in an affront to fundamental principles of criminal policy and legislation. Mere criminal prosecution suffices for removal of the organisation from the Registry.

These provisions are intended to intimidate civil society. They are introduced only a few months after the Minister of Migration and Asylum made threats against the legal representatives of people who arrived in Crete during the unlawful three-month asylum ban and were protected from deportation by interim measures of the European Court of Human Rights. These attacks were immediately condemned by international and national institutions, yet the competent Minister refuses to retract them.

For the undersigned organisations, this attempt is unjust, unlawful, and unreasonable. We call for the immediate withdrawal of these provisions.

  1. ΒΙΟΖΩ - Πανελλήνια Ένωση Καταναλωτών
  2. Γιατροί του Κόσμου - Ελληνική Αντιπροσωπεία
  3. Γιατροί Χωρίς Σύνορα - Ελληνικό Τμήμα 
  4. Γυναικεία Ομάδα Αυτοάμυνας
  5. Ελληνικό Δίκτυο για το Δικαίωμα στη Στέγη και την Κατοικία
  6. Ελληνική Ένωση για τα Δικαιώματα του Ανθρώπου (ΕλΕΔΑ)
  7. Ελληνικό Παρατηρητήριο των Συμφωνιών του Ελσίνκι
  8. Ελληνικό Φόρουμ Μεταναστών
  9. Ελληνικό Φόρουμ Προσφύγων
  10. Ελληνικό Συμβούλιο για τους Πρόσφυγες (ΕΣΠ)
  11. Ένωση Μικρομεσαίων Ο.Κοι.Π. Ελλάδας
  12. Κέντρο Διοτίμα
  13. Μέλισσα Δίκτυο Μεταναστριών στην Ελλάδα
  14. Παρατηρητήριο Αστυνομικής Βίας - Copwatch GR
  15. ΠΕΚΑμεΑ
  16. Συμβίωση - Σχολή Πολιτικών Σπουδών στην Ελλάδα, Δίκτυο Σχολών του Συμβουλίου της Ευρώπης
  17. Σύμπλεξις
  18. Σύνδεσμος Αντιρρησιών Συνείδησης
  19. Υποστήριξη Προσφύγων στο Αιγαίο (RSA)
  20. ART HUB Athens
  21. Boat Refugee Foundation
  22. Changemakers Lab
  23. Civil Society Alliance Greece
  24. Collective Aid
  25. Community Peacemaker Teams-Aegean Migrant Solidarity
  26. ECHO100PLUS
  27. Emfasis Non-Profit
  28. EmpowerVan
  29. Equal Legal Aid (ELA)
  30. Equal Rights Beyond Borders
  31. FemArtAct
  32. Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid
  33. HIAS Ελλάδος
  34. HIGGS
  35. Human Rights Legal Project
  36. The HOME Project
  37. I Have Rights
  38. Inter Alia
  39. InterMediaKT
  40. Intereuropean Human Aid Association 
  41. INTERSOS HELLAS
  42. Irida Women’s Center
  43. iSea
  44. Legal Centre Lesvos
  45. Mazí Housing 
  46. Mobile Info Team
  47. Nimertis Action Art
  48. Northern Lights Aid
  49. PRAKSIS
  50. Project Armonia
  51. Reading to the Others
  52. Safe Passage International Greece
  53. Samos Volunteers
  54. SHE - Society for Help and Empowerment
  55. Velos Youth
  56. Vouliwatch

Co-signed by

  1. ΒΙΟΖΩ - Πανελλήνια Ένωση Καταναλωτών
  2. Γιατροί του Κόσμου - Ελληνική Αντιπροσωπεία
  3. Γιατροί Χωρίς Σύνορα - Ελληνικό Τμήμα 
  4. Γυναικεία Ομάδα Αυτοάμυνας
  5. Ελληνικό Δίκτυο για το Δικαίωμα στη Στέγη και την Κατοικία
  6. Ελληνική Ένωση για τα Δικαιώματα του Ανθρώπου (ΕλΕΔΑ)
  7. Ελληνικό Παρατηρητήριο των Συμφωνιών του Ελσίνκι
  8. Ελληνικό Φόρουμ Μεταναστών
  9. Ελληνικό Φόρουμ Προσφύγων
  10. Ελληνικό Συμβούλιο για τους Πρόσφυγες (ΕΣΠ)
  11. Ένωση Μικρομεσαίων Ο.Κοι.Π. Ελλάδας
  12. Κέντρο Διοτίμα
  13. Μέλισσα Δίκτυο Μεταναστριών στην Ελλάδα
  14. Παρατηρητήριο Αστυνομικής Βίας - Copwatch GR
  15. ΠΕΚΑμεΑ
  16. Συμβίωση - Σχολή Πολιτικών Σπουδών στην Ελλάδα, Δίκτυο Σχολών του Συμβουλίου της Ευρώπης
  17. Σύμπλεξις
  18. Σύνδεσμος Αντιρρησιών Συνείδησης
  19. Υποστήριξη Προσφύγων στο Αιγαίο (RSA)
  20. ART HUB Athens
  21. Boat Refugee Foundation
  22. Changemakers Lab
  23. Civil Society Alliance Greece
  24. Collective Aid
  25. Community Peacemaker Teams-Aegean Migrant Solidarity
  26. ECHO100PLUS
  27. Emfasis Non-Profit
  28. EmpowerVan
  29. Equal Legal Aid (ELA)
  30. Equal Rights Beyond Borders
  31. FemArtAct
  32. Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid
  33. HIAS Ελλάδος
  34. HIGGS
  35. Human Rights Legal Project
  36. The HOME Project
  37. I Have Rights
  38. Inter Alia
  39. InterMediaKT
  40. Intereuropean Human Aid Association 
  41. INTERSOS HELLAS
  42. Irida Women’s Center
  43. iSea
  44. Legal Centre Lesvos
  45. Mazí Housing 
  46. Mobile Info Team
  47. Nimertis Action Art
  48. Northern Lights Aid
  49. PRAKSIS
  50. Project Armonia
  51. Reading to the Others
  52. Safe Passage International Greece
  53. Samos Volunteers
  54. SHE - Society for Help and Empowerment
  55. Velos Youth
  56. Vouliwatch

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