three children’s residence permits before the Headquarters of the Hellenic Police. A year later, in November 2021, their renewal application was rejected based on the applicable at that time JMD 778/20.01.20211368 pursuant to which Senegal was included in the list of safe countries of origin, without any individualised assessment and prior hearing. In December 2022, their appeal, submitted in December 2021, was examined by the 1st Appeals Committee. In March 2023, their appeal was rejected and their refugee status was revoked.1369 During 2021-2023 the refugee and her children had no access to the labour market, social security and healthcare, since they only held a certificate that they had lodged an appeal against their revocation decision. In June 2023, following the negative decision, they lodged an Application for Annulment before the Administrative Court of Athens, which was examined in March 2025 after many postponements. The decision is pending, while the applicants are still deprived of documents, and lack access to healthcare, legal residence, employment and ultimately protection. As previously mentioned, revocation of international protection status can also take place for national security reasons. In a case of a Syrian refugee, who had been granted refugee status in 2017 due to his political beliefs imputed to him as a conscientious objector, his status was revoked on the grounds of national security. In August 2022, i.e., after almost six (6) years of legally residing in Greece, the applicant received a summons following the issuance of a classified document, on the basis of which his asylum status might be revoked because he was considered to be "a danger to the national security of the country" (Article 13 para. 4a, Law 4939/2022). In September 2022, decision of the Returns and Revocations Directorate, Revocations and Exclusions Department of the Asylum Service, was served to the refugee, pursuant to which his international protection status was revoked, his residence permit and travel document recalled, and he was ordered to return to Syria. In October 2022, the refugee filed an appeal before the Appeals Authority. However, his appeal was rejected in March 2023 by the 9 th Appeal Committee,1370 despite the fact that at no stage of the administrative procedure had he been informed of the substantive content of the reasons for the revocation of his refugee status, which deprived him of the effective exercise of the right to an effective remedy, hearing, and defense, as well as the procedural guarantees provided in Article 23(1) of Directive 2013/32/EU. The refugee filed an Application for Annulment and Suspension before the Administrative Court of Athens. As his Application for Suspension was rejected, he lodged a request for interim measure (Rule 39) before the ECtHR. Interim measures were granted by the Court in December 2023 and the application was lodged in February 2024. The Application for Annulment was pending examination on 13 May 2026). However, the Court, acting ex officio, granted an adjournment to a date that has not yet been reflected in the electronic case management system and is still pending publication. (at the time of writing). In an identical case of revocation of the refugee status of a Syrian national pursuant to classified documents, the 12th Appeals Committee issued a decision annulling the revocation decision of the Office of the Returns and Revocations Directorate, Revocations and Exclusions Department of the Asylum Service. In particular, the Appeals Committee found that there were no national security reasons, taking into account, inter alia, that the Committee itself never had full access to the classified documents/information itself despite having requested it. Instead, the Committee had access only to a document from the Asylum Service, which according to the Committee, was not sufficient in order for the refugee to be considered a danger for national security.1371 The most important development regarding the revocation of refugee status for reasons of national security is the introduction of the application for annulment AK714/2024 under the pilot procedure before the Council of State.1372 The decision is still pending. This case concerns a Syrian refugee represented by GCR and according to the Council of State, legal issues of general interest which have consequences for a wider circle of persons arise. In particular, a) the interpretation of Article 76(4) L. 4939/2022, which transposed Article 23(1)(b) of the Directive 2013/32/EU into national law, where the decision revoking refugee status is taken on the basis of confidential documents, without the person concerned having 1368 1369 1370 1371 1372 JMD 778/20.01.2021, Gov. Gazette B’ 317/29.01.2021. Decision 180064/28.03.2023 of the 1st Independent Appeals Committee. Decision no. 186250/30.03.2023 of the 9th Independent Appeals Committee. Decision no. IΡ/14902/09.01.2024 of the 12th Independent Appeals Committee. Council of State, Διαδικασία άρθρου 1 παρ. 1 και 3 του ν. 3900/2010 (Α΄ 213) - Γνωστοποίηση της υπ’ αριθμ. 18/21.10.2024 πράξης της Επιτροπής του άρθρου 1 του ν. 3900/2010, available in Greek here. 268