On 1-2 April, the Department for the Execution of Judgments, with support from the Permanent Representation of Greece to the Council of Europe and the State Legal Council of Greece, conducted a mission to Athens to discuss several cases pending before the Committee of Ministers.
As part of the preparations for the Committee’s 1531st Human Rights meeting (10-12 June 2025), the delegation met with the Committee of Experts, established by the Greek authorities to advise them on achieving full execution of judgments concerning freedom of association (Bekir-Ousta and Others). The Committee of Experts is expected to present comprehensive proposals for a way forward before the June Human Rights meeting. Similarly, regarding the groups M.S.S. / H.A. and Others, the delegation held meetings with key officials, notably the Secretary General of Migration Policy, the Secretary General of Reception of Asylum Seekers, the Secretary General for Vulnerable Persons and Institutional Protection and the Director of Legal Support in the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, as well as the Secretary General of Public Order in the Ministry of Citizens Protection. Discussions focused on improvements in asylum procedures, the living conditions of asylum seekers, the conditions of detention for asylum seekers and irregular migrants, as well as an effective remedy for complaints regarding reception conditions.
The delegation also discussed measures to address long-standing issues identified by the European Court in the judgments regarding poor conditions of detention in Greek prisons and the lack of effective remedies (Nisiotis group). These matters were examined in meetings with the General Secretary of Anti-Crime Policy in the Ministry of Citizens Protection and representatives of the Ministry of Justice. The delegation was informed that in five out of eight decisions rendered in 2025, domestic courts upheld remedies for poor conditions of detention, granting either compensation for non-pecuniary damage or a reduction in sentence as compensation.
A separate meeting with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, including the Commandant of the Hellenic Coast Guard focused on the necessary measures following the European Court’s judgments regarding the legislative framework governing the use of firearms by coastguards (Alkhatib and Others) and search-and-rescue operations (Safi and Others).
Furthermore, discussions on preventing ill-treatment by law enforcement officers and improving the effectiveness of related investigations (Sidiropoulos and Papakostas group) were held with the Secretary General of Public Order in the Ministry of Citizens Protection and the representatives of the Ministry of Justice.
The delegation also met with the President of the State Legal Council and her team to discuss all pending cases concerning Greece and explore ways to further strengthen cooperation with a view to increasing effectiveness of the execution process.
Finally, a meeting was held with the Greek Ombudsman and his team to exchange on the state of execution of most of the above cases.
