Detention in return & deportation proceedings: 2022
Return
Deportation
16977
7081
9361
22
With detention
Without detention
Source: Ministry of Citizen Protection, Reply to parliamentary question, 13 March 2023
Lack of access to remedies
Administrative appeal against deportation or return
Greek law foresees an administrative appeal against deportation or return decisions
before the Hellenic Police within a tight deadline of five days.
Review of return & deportation decisions: 2022
Decisions
Appeals
Granted appeals
33441
450
12
Source: Ministry of Citizen Protection, Reply to parliamentary question, 13 March 2023
Data on such administrative appeals demonstrate systemic gaps in access to
remedies. The past year saw as many as 33,441 deportation or return decisions but no
more than 450 administrative appeals. Therefore, only 1.3% of removal decisions in
Greece was challenged through an appeal.
Useful contrast may be drawn from the asylum procedure, where the rejection of an
asylum claim by the Asylum Service involves the issuance of a return or deportation
decision.2 In 2022, the Asylum Service took 11,643 in-merit rejections and 8,962
inadmissibility decisions on asylum claims, while 16,830 appeals were lodged against
Asylum Service decisions before the Appeals Authority.3
2
3
Article 87(8) Asylum Code.
RSA, The Greek asylum procedure in figures in 2022: Analysis of main trends in refugee
protection, March 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3LWW41N.
3
RSA POLICY NOTE │ 2023