Today, I HAVE RIGHTS’ Advocacy Taskforce provided input to the EU Commission proposal for a Recast Regulation to expand Frontex’s operations at EU external borders, where IHR proposed the suspension rather than expansion of Frontex’s presence in compliance with EU law.

I Have Rights is aware of at least two brothers with Greek refugee status that have been prevented from leaving the Gaza strip. Their continuous attempts at contact with the competent Greek authorities to coordinate their evacuation have gone unanswered as the situation continues to deteriorate.

📝 On the 1st of August, the Greek Ombudsperson responded to a joint complaint by Samos based organisations concerning the lack—or complete absence—of organised transfers for vulnerable people from the Samos CCAC to mainland facilities. 📢Read the full response here: ihaverights.eu/press-releas...

Read the full statement here: www.mobileinfoteam.org/joint-statem...

🚨 JOINT STATEMENT: Addressing the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers’ (CM) last examination of the Greek asylum system under the M.S.S. and H.A. and Others v. Greece groups of cases. @bordercrim.bsky.social @borderviolence.bsky.social @ihaverights.bsky.social @equallegalaid.bsky.social

JOINT STATEMENT is out now! On the suspension of asylum examinations by the Greek government. Read the full statement here: ihaverights.eu?p=6809&fb-ed...

New report reveals a continued lack of GDPR compliance in deploying the Centaur and Hyperion surveillance systems in the Samos CCAC. People held in the CCAC were largely not properly informed about CCTV cameras, drones, and biometric data collection. Find out more: ihaverights.eu/border-tech-...

New report together with Homo Digitalis out today exposes ongoing data protection violations in the Samos CCAC. These are emblematic of a system where control and surveillance are prioritised over the rights of those seeking protection. Read more: ihaverights.eu/border-tech-...

Following a fire in the Samos CCAC that destroyed containers & belongings, people report being left without accommodation, some sleeping outside, told to "manage on their own". Not an isolated case, but yet another example of systemic failure to ensure dignified conditions for people on the move.

After months without cash assistance, asylum seekers in #Greece are struggling to meet their basic needs. Cash assistance must resume immediately! Read the joint statement: ihaverights.eu/joint-statem...

Time and time again, NGOs have condemned the dreadful state of the EU-funded Samos CCAC. To this day, nothing has changed. So @ihaverights.bsky.social and 4 other NGOs have written to the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs @magnusbrunner to take action. Read: ihaverights.eu/joint-letter...

🚨General observation from our report on tech in the Samos CCAC w/ @borderviolence.bsky.social 🔍 Opinions on technology in the Samos CCAC vary among people interviewed 24% likened the experience to imprisonment 17 % felt controlled & having their privacy invaded 22% reported no impact

Great piece on the impact of phone removals: being deprived of their phones during the first days in the Samos CCAC exacerbates people's isolation & vulnerability to human rights violations & limits their ability to gather evidence on potential mistreatment. areyousyrious.medium.com/phone-is-com...

Important research highlights systemic gaps in reception facilities in 🇬🇷, depriving children of accessing basic rights. Despite poor conditions in mainland facilities, children often feel “relief" when moving from island CCACs to the mainland. resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/pdf/Children...

🔒 #EU-funded Hyperion system controls access to the Samos CCAC using biometric data and ID cards. People on the move must scan fingerprints and/or biometric ID cards to enter, exit, or move within the facility. 🚨Our report on tech w/ @borderviolence.bsky.social studied how this affects people.

In a new @aljazeera.com documentary on the use of Israeli tech in Europe, our @elladodd.bsky.social discusses the role of technology in the Samos CCAC. Watch now (section on Samos from 16:35): www.aljazeera.com/program/feat...

📢 Join Us for Our Upcoming Event with @borderviolence.bsky.social. Discover the (mis)use of technology in the Samos CCAC and the covert operations targeting asylum seekers on Samos. Sign up: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

In the Dec 2024 @borderviolence.bsky.social report, we highlight continuing deplorable living conditions in the Samos CCAC, marked by overcrowding & undignified conditions. Learn more about our & other insights from border watchdog orgs in Greece & the Balkans: borderviolence.eu/reports/balk...

Important report by the Greek Ombudsman on the Pylos Shipwreck. A month after the ECtHR ruling finding that Greece engages in systematic pushbacks, this adds to the growing evidence of violence & rights violations by Greek authorities against people on the move. www.synigoros.gr/en/category/...

As highlighted by @hrlpsamos.bsky.social, almost 500 children are held in appalling conditions in the Samos CCAC. Some are detained for more than 100 days, lacking access to essential services. Find out more: www.efsyn.gr/ellada/dikai...

14y after landmark rulings from the ECtHR, #Greece still fails to comply. Together with @mobileinfoteam & @EqualLegalAid, we submitted evidence to the @coe to highlight ongoing deficiencies in reception conditions & asylum procedures in Greece. Read: ihaverights.eu/jointsubmiss...

Positive, but long overdue: the Ministry of Migration is finally moving to solve the issue of interpretation for asylum interviews. Recently, many of our clients had their interviews postponed, leaving them in prolonged uncertainty & degrading conditions. migration.gov.gr/n-panagiotop...

Great article by Emma Wallis on our report uncovering (digital) rights violations in the Samos CCAC. A strategically important part of a broader #EU plan under the New Pact, CCACs serve as a testing ground for future migration policies across the EU. www.infomigrants.net/en/post/6239...

Apparently, this does not apply to people on the move on Samos... Our recent report with @borderviolence.bsky.social revealed most people were unaware that the Samos CCAC is monitored by 🇪🇺-funded CCTV cameras & about the reasons for fingerprint collection. Read: ihaverights.eu/samos-border...

Thank you, Melting Pot, for covering our report that debunks claims by Greek & EU authorities that the CCAC is a model humane facility. Instead, reports from people on the move attest to its inhumanity & vast surveillance architecture. Read full article: www.meltingpot.org/2025/01/grec...

“Battle-tested“ on Palestinians, then repurposed in Greece: as revealed in our report, spy-tech of two #Israeli companies are deployed in the Samos CCAC. @AnasAmbri sheds light on the involvement of former 🇨🇦Prime Minister Stephen Harper in this. Read: breachmedia.ca/stephen-harp...

📊Latest UNHCR Figures 📊 ❌ The population in the Samos CCAC is at 4,354, operating at over 119% of its nominal capacity of 3,650. The severe overcrowding exacerbates the already degrading conditions where basic needs of people often remain unmet. data.unhcr.org/en/documents...

📱88% people on the move interviewed report their phone was taken 🇬🇷 Authorities must explain the legal basis for this routine operation “When we arrived, the first thing the police did was to take the phones away. When they took us to the camp they asked for the passcode” (1/3)

#Greece & other #EU gov's lobbied against restrictions on the use of AI in the #EU AI Act, giving greater freedom to border authorities to use invasive technology. Greece specifically demanded an „explicit exclusion“ for border zones from any AI ban. www.investigate-europe.eu/posts/france...

"Israeli technology [is] first being “battled-tested” on Palestinians, then “repurposed” for use on refugees in Europe" ➡️ breachmedia.ca/stephen-harp... New report by @ihaverights.bsky.social reveals invasive use of tech in Samos refugee camp ➡️➡️ ihaverights.eu/samos-border...

With help from @ihaverights.bsky.social, refugees inside Greece's notorious Samos camp started submitting requests to obtain CCTV footage of themselves inside it. Turns out that the tech used to mass surveil them was funded by an Israeli firm led by Canada's former Prime Minister Harper.

Just yesterday, ‪@ihaverights.bsky.social and @borderviolence.bsky.social published a report detailing the use of AI and CCTV surveillance in Samos CCAC. bsky.app/profile/ihav...

In her piece on our latest report, @aheleni.bsky.social highlights the contradictions of forcible phone removals of asylum seekers: Hellenic authorities deny these practices, yet Frontex has confirmed them in confidential plans. Learn more: balkaninsight.com/2025/01/21/g...

🚨Our report with @ihaverights.bsky.social uncovered covert operations where phones of asylum seekers are forcibly removed by authorities. The report adds to mounting concerns about the invasive use of technology in the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre. Read it below:

Thank you @lydiaemman.bsky.social for covering our report in Computer Weekly focusing on the impact of 🇬🇷's refugee camps as "experimentation sites for AI-driven solutions." This risks the respect of fundamental rights & privacy in the name of border control. www.computerweekly.com/news/3666182...

The report by NGOs @ihaverights.bsky.social and Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN) details apparent privacy violations and questionable data practices that underscore growing concerns over the role of technology in migration management Read here: ihaverights.eu/samos-border...

🚨Out today 🚨 Our report with @borderviolence on the human impact of technology on Samos including Greece’s latest covert operation against asylum seekers: routine unlawful removal of phones by force upon arrival. The authorities deny the practice (1/2) Read now: ihaverights.eu/samos-border...

🎊Happy New Year! 🗓️Our 2024 Annual Report is out In 2024 we: 📑Supported 297 new clients 📞Responded to 135,000 messages on our hotline 💼Represented 31 new clients ihaverights.eu/i-have-right... (🧵1/4)

🚨 Job Opportunity Alert! 🚨 I Have Rights is hiring an Administration and Finance Coordinator (in-person or remote). 🗓️ Application deadline: 8 Dec 2024 🌍 Role requires English and German language skills. 📄 Full details: ihaverights.eu/wp-content/u...

📢 @EUombudsman opens an inquiry into how the @EUAsylumAgency addresses allegations of fundamental rights violations in Greece (case 229/2024/AML) The inquiry stems from a joint complaint by I Have Rights and @ASFFrance 🧵(1/2) ihaverights.eu/european-omb...

🚨 PRESS RELEASE 🚨 The European Court of Human Rights once again found that Greece subjected asylum seekers to inhuman & degrading treatment, condemning the treatment of 3 asylum seekers on 3 hotspot islands Samos, Kos & Chios (1/5) ihaverights.eu/european-cou...

🚨With 85 other Civil Society Organisations we call on MEPs in @EP_Justice to #RejectTheSBC in next week's vote which: Normalises racial profiling Legalises 'internal transfers' AKA pushbacks Uses the harmful 'instrumentalisation' concept READ MORE:  ihaverights.eu/joint-statem...

We’re looking for volunteer interpreters! We’re looking for #Dari Remote Volunteer Interpreters to support our team of legal advisors to inform asylum seekers about their rights and help them prepare for their asylum interviews. #Apply here: ihaverights.eu/join-us/

📢 Inhuman and degrading conditions in the CCAC Talking to Hyphen, we highlight: dire hygiene conditions, severe water cuts & the lack of EU accountability despite internal documents showing the EU is aware of the overcrowded & degrading conditions. Read the article: hyphenonline.com/2024/02/28/n...

While the EU prides itself on leading the way globally on AI regulation, the AI Act has dangerous loopholes that allow for people on the move to be under constant surveillance, as we have seen on Samos. Read more about the "panopticon" Samos CCAC ⤵️ balkaninsight.com/2024/02/23/l...

Latest statistics from the #UNHCR and our clients in the Samos #CCAC report: 🔵 Only 1 hour of water per day 🔵 No laundry facilities 🔵 Continued outbreak of bed bugs and scabies

🚨Reports by the European Commission reveal how the authorities lost control of the Samos CCAC.  
 EU reports, obtained by I Have Rights through a FOIA, show an alarming increase in people detained in inhuman conditions for extended periods in the CCAC 🧵(1/5)

📆 IHR and Fenix are hosting a webinar on our work supporting survivors of human trafficking on Samos and Lesvos to discuss: 🔎 Defining human trafficking ⚖️ Rights of survivors 📑 EU Ombudsman complaint on poor treatment of survivors Sign up here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

‼️#ECtHR grants Interim Measures for mother & baby held in inhuman conditions in the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC) ordering Greek authorities to provide safe and suitable accommodation ihaverights.eu/european-cou...

The latest data from #UNCHR shows that the Samos CCAC is at 200% capacity. Our Clients report: 🔵 Cramped and unsuitable conditions 🔵 Over 20 men sharing one container 🔵 People living in areas originally meant to be a dining hall 🔵 Access to water for only 3hr a day