On Lesvos, Fenix received numerous complaints that, despite the low number of occupants at
the C.C.A.C., people are still forced to share housing units at full capacity, leaving them without
personal space or privacy.
Update on Samos unaccompanied children
The Human Rights Legal Project (HRLP) on Samos successfully applied for several interim
measures at the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of unaccompanied children,
obliging the Greek authorities to take immediate steps to prevent further violations.
Since then, Samos C.C.A.C. authorities have stopped providing any information about the “safe
zone”, including the number of children there, and the organisation is effectively barred from
accessing the children.
Boat Refugee Foundation reports that most children temporarily transferred from Samos to
Lesvos were suffering from untreated infected scabies. Among them was a child with serious
cardiac issues and another on antibiotic treatment for pneumonia.
Access to people on the move and obstruction of NGOs
The Rule of Law report chapter on Greece notes concerns expressed by ANN members about
inflammatory statements directed at NGOs, though it omits serious concerns shared with the
Commission about reduced access and monitoring by civil society on the Aegean islands.
HIAS Greece reports that the case at the Council of State (with Equal Rights Beyond Borders)
seeking annulment of the heavily criticised NGO registration legislation has been pending for
almost 3 years.
On Samos and Lesvos, Aegean Network partners report a lack of coordination and consultation from authorities, coinciding with the absence of constructive dialogue from the
Ministry of Migration and Asylum.
Boat Refugee Foundation, although fully registered with the Ministry of Migration and
Asylum, has been denied access to the Chios C.C.A.C. after applying to run a temporary
healthcare project, without further legal justification.
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