Countries: Greece, World Source: Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid Urgent Press Release: Illegal Suspension of Access to AsylumLegislation that will provide for the suspension of the examination of asylum applications- initially for three months - for those arriving in Greece from North Africa by sea will be submitted tomorrow to the Parliament, as Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced in his intervention in the Plenary Session of the Parliament.We stress that the suspension of access to asylum is manifestly illegal and constitutes a flagrant violation of national, EU and international law.The government is invoking the commonly used and false narrative of ‘unmanageable flows of arrivals’ in Greece’s southern region for the suspension of fundamental rights. This year so far, just over7330 people arrived from North Africa to Crete, Gavdos and other southern islands. This is 36% of all arrivals to Greece in 2025, while across Greece, refugee arrivals are reduced by 30% this year compared to last year according to UNHCR data.[1]While access to asylum is a right that should be protected for anyone and at all times, we highlight that the countries of origin of arrivals from North Africa include those with some of the highest refugee recognition rates in Greece including Sudan, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Palestine. Additionally, among the arrivals are many individuals who are in urgent need of specific protection, such as unaccompanied children and survivors of sexual violence.[2]Greece had taken similar measures in March 2020[3], then citing increased arrivals in the Evros region, on Greece's land border with Turkiye. With the Legislative Act of the 2ndof March 2020, Greece denied the right to apply for asylum to those who entered the country without legal documents in March 2020.The decision of the Greek government at that time had disastrous consequences for a large number of people in need of protection. A decision of the European Court of Human Rights on this matter is still awaited today.The invocation of an ‘emergency situation’ and the invocation of increased arrivals in the south must in no way be a justification for the suspension of access to asylum and only proves that Greece, a main host country in the European Union, is unable and unwilling to guarantee basic fundamental rights for people in need of protection.We call for the immediate revocation of the Greek Government's decision.