The Greek Council for Refugees on Tuesday (August 27) raised concerns about the legal foundation of the government’s recent decision to suspend asylum applications for three months, a measure introduced by the conservative government to combat an increase in irregular migrant arrivals on its territory.

Since the policy was enacted in July, hundreds of migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa have been detained. Human rights organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Council of Europe, and 109 non-governmental organizations, say the suspension violates international law. The Greek government, however, insists the policy has been effective in cutting back the number of arrivals.

"The clear message that the country will no longer give asylum for the next three months, and that immigrants will be detained, appears to have had an effect," Migration Minister Thanos Plevris had announced on August 7.

Greek court halts deportation of four Sudanese men 

According to the UNHCR, more than 10,000 people have arrived in Greece from North Africa since the beginning of 2025, more than double the number recorded during all of 2024. Among the individuals arriving, 27 percent were from war-torn Sudan and 47 percent from Egypt.

Four Sudanese nationals currently detained in the Greek capital of Athens were facing deportation, but a court issued a temporary injunction on Monday to stop their removal, according to the Greek Council for Refugees.

On August 25, 2025, the Administrative Court of First Instance in Athens issued an interim order blocking the deportation of the four men, who had been denied access to the asylum process under the country's three-month suspension of asylum applications introduced by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum.

The refugees, detained at the Amygdaleza Pre-Removal Detention Centre, were facing return to Sudan or Libya. Represented by the Greek Council for Refugees, the individuals had challenged both their deportation orders and the state’s refusal to register their asylum claims, the council said in its statement.

The court upheld their request for temporary protection, ordering that their removal be suspended until a final decision is made on their broader legal appeal.

On August 14, the European Court of Human Rights also ordered Greek authorities not to deport the four Sudanese men.

The case is seen as a test of the legality of the government’s policy, which targets arrivals by sea from North Africa and effectively bypasses standard asylum procedures.

Greek conservative government cracks down on migration

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has emphasized that his government has been tightening immigration controls since taking office in 2019.

Greece has frequently been accused of conducting illegal pushbacks, the forced return of refugees and asylum seekers to Turkey. Athens denies these allegations.

Due to its geographic proximity to North Africa and the Middle East, Greece has long been a key transit point for migrants and refugees fleeing conflict, persecution, and poverty in search of safety in Europe.

With AFP