• Faver Agyei (right), 32, comforts her friend Alima Mohamed, 22, at a camp in Tunisia near the Libyan border. Mohamed’s husband, also from Ghana, died along with 200 others after their ship capsized trying to cross the Mediterranean from Libya on June 1, 2011.

    © 2011 Samer Muscati/Human Rights Watch
    EU: Rights Abuse at Home Ignored
    The European Union and member governments proved unwilling to tackle human rights abuse at home during 2011, even as they proclaimed the issue’s importance in inspiring the Arab Spring, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2012.
More news »
Subscribe to content feed
  • Human Rights in Greece

    Greece’s asylum system remains dysfunctional, despite reform efforts, with migrants and asylum seekers, including children, detained in inhuman conditions. Racist violence surged in Athens, with a wave of attacks in migrant neighborhoods in May and sporadic attacks on migrants and asylum seekers throughout the year. There were allegations of excessive use of force by the police during demonstrations against austerity measures throughout the year. Roma face widespread discrimination in housing and education.

Reports

Greece

  • Greece's Epidemic of Racist Attacks
    Jan 26, 2012
    When I tell people in Athens, my hometown, that I am doing research on racist violence in Greece, I am met with disbelief. There’s no problem, they say, and even if things sometimes happen it’s a temporary blip linked to the economic crisis.
  • EU: Rights Abuse at Home Ignored
    Jan 22, 2012
    The European Union and member governments proved unwilling to tackle human rights abuse at home during 2011, even as they proclaimed the issue’s importance in inspiring the Arab Spring, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2012.
  • Greece: Rare Hate Crime Trial Opens
    Dec 12, 2011
    The trial of three people for the September 2011 assault on an Afghan asylum seeker in Athens is a sobering reminder of increasing racist violence in Greece.
  • Greece: Human Rights Watch Submission to the United Nations Committee against Torture
    Oct 17, 2011
    This memorandum, submitted to the United Nations Committee Against Torture (“the Committee”) ahead of its upcoming review of Greece, highlights areas of concern Human Rights Watch hopes will inform the Committee’s consideration of the Greek government’s (“the government”) compliance with the International Convention against Torture and Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment ("the Convention").
  • Sharing Greece's asylum shame
    Sep 29, 2011
    The EU’s border agency should not be sending migrants to camps deemed abusive by Europe’s top human-rights court.
  • Human Rights Watch Statement on the UPR Outcome Report on Greece
    Sep 21, 2011
    Human Rights Watch welcomes the UPR report on Greece, which includes important recommendations concerning implementing the National Action Plan on Migration Management and the asylum reform by ensuring that all migrants are treated according to Greece’s human hights obligations; improving state response to racist and xenophobic violence; mitigating measures to protect its most vulnerable population, including persons with disabilities and unaccompanied migrant children.
  • EU: Border Agency Exposes Migrants to Abusive Conditions
    Sep 21, 2011
    Frontex, the European Union’s external border enforcement agency, is exposing migrants to inhuman and degrading conditions, Human Rights Watch said in a report issued today. Migrants apprehended along Greece’s land border with Turkey are sent to overcrowded detention centers in Greece.
  • Human Rights Watch Submission to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
    Aug 11, 2011
    We write in advance of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (“the Committee”) upcoming sessional review of Greece to highlight areas of concern we hope will inform your consideration of the Greek government’s (“the government”) compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (“the Convention”).
  • Greek Protests Test Government’s Commitment to Rights
    Jul 14, 2011
    The challenges faced by the government should not be used to justify abuses on the streets – but that is the accusation facing the police
  • Greece: Inquiry on Police Abuse a Positive Step
    Jul 6, 2011
    The Athens public prosecutor’s decision to investigate allegations of excessive use of force by the police during recent public protests in Athens is a positive step.
more documents on this topic »