Executive summary & recommendations Access to asylum No arrangements are currently in place to ensure access to asylum in mainland Greece. Refugees are prohibited from direct access to the Asylum Service to register a claim. They must first report to a Reception and Identification Centre (RIC). Appointments for registration at the mainland RIC (Malakasa, Diavata) were managed via an online platform from July 2022 to May 2023. Greek authorities do not consider those as “making” of an asylum claim. People awaiting an appointment are arbitrarily arrested and detained for removal. The Committee should request Greece to detail the specific measures it has introduced or aims to introduce in order to grant access to the asylum procedure on the mainland within the deadlines set out in EU and domestic law. Remedies against removal orders from the Hellenic Police are inaccessible and ineffective. Only 1.3% of removal orders were appealed last year. Only 2.7% of appeals were granted. The Committee should urge Greece to take concrete steps to enhance the accessibility and effectiveness of remedies against Hellenic Police removal decisions, and to report on progress achieved. Greece enforces de facto deprivation of liberty throughout the reception and identification process in the RIC and has faced related infringement proceedings from the European Commission for poor transposition of EU law. The Committee should request Greece to repeal Article 40(a) of the Asylum Code and to report on measures taken to comply with the right to liberty vis-à-vis the “restriction of movement” regime in RIC, in light of the January 2023 infringement procedure launched by the European Commission. Asylum procedure The designation of Türkiye as a safe third country under a list enacted in June 2021 has resulted in arbitrary denial of protection and legal limbo for over 10,000 refugees. Greek authorities disregard critical evidence on the Turkish asylum system, including case law of the European Court of Human Rights, and consistently misapply human rights standards. The Committee should request Greece to report on the exact steps taken to ensure that a thorough assessment of Article 3 risks in Türkiye has been conducted prior to its designation as a safe third country, including of the lack of prospects of readmission. Appeals Committees dismiss thousands of appeals and issue deportation orders without an assessment on the merits, on the sole ground that refugees do not appear in person or do not submit a camp residence certificate within short deadlines. The Committee should request information from Greece on how Appeals Committees comply with the principle of non-refoulement when dismissing asylum appeals on formal grounds without any assessment on the merits, pursuant to Articles 83(3) and 102(2) of the Asylum Code, and to revisit the provisions concerned. 3 RSA COMMENTS│ 2023