Support the Right to Asylum for Refugees in Greece

For many refugees, receiving asylum is not the end of their journey. It is only the beginning of another painful wait—to be reunited with the people they love.

This month, the European Court of Human Rights delivered three landmark judgments in cases supported by the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), recognizing for the first time that Greece violated the right to family life by failing to process refugee family reunification applications effectively.

The three cases concerned refugees from Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Burundi who had all been granted refugee status in Greece. Yet for years they remained separated from their wives and young children because they were unable to provide official documents that were impossible to obtain due to war, statelessness, or the circumstances of their displacement. Rather than considering these realities or seeking alternative solutions, the authorities left their applications pending for years.

For one father, this meant waiting more than twelve years without knowing whether he would ever embrace his family again.

After years of legal work by GCR, the European Court confirmed that the authorities had failed to ensure an effective and flexible family reunification procedure and had violated the refugees' fundamental rights.

When he learned of the judgment, one of the applicants shared:

"While we were waiting, I often felt like I couldn't breathe. With this decision, I finally felt that I had found my voice."

Another said:

"For the first time in many years, I feel hopeful. I hope that one day I will see my family again."

These judgments are about much more than three individual families. They establish important legal safeguards for many other recognized refugees in Greece who face similar obstacles in reuniting with their loved ones. They also send a clear message that protection does not end with the recognition of refugee status—it includes the right to rebuild family life with dignity.

Cases like these do not happen overnight. They require years of dedicated legal work: gathering evidence, navigating complex administrative procedures, representing clients before national authorities, and ultimately bringing cases before international courts when all other avenues have failed.

At the same time, funding for refugee legal aid has continued to decline. While institutional support has been reduced, the need has not. Families continue to wait. Children remain separated from their parents. People seeking safety still face complex legal procedures without access to a lawyer.

This is why your support matters.

Every donation helps ensure that refugees are not denied justice simply because they cannot afford legal representation. It enables GCR's lawyers to continue standing beside families through long legal battles—until justice is finally achieved.

Thank you for helping turn years of uncertainty into hope.

Links:

• UNHCR article on the case