On 24 February 2025, five human rights organisations — Amnesty International, Avocats Sans Frontières France, Human Rights Legal Project, I Have Rights., and Samos Volunteers — sent a detailed letter to Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, regarding the systematic violation of international law and refugee rights by the Greek authorities at the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC).
According to the organisations’ letter to Commissioner Brunner, the human rights situation in the Samos CCAC remains “alarming”, with authorities continuing to impose “restrictions of freedom” orders (ROFs) that result in prolonged de facto detention of newly arrived asylum seekers. As the letter notes, residents are systematically subjected to measures that “amount to unlawful and arbitrary detention”, applied without consideration of individual circumstances, specific needs or vulnerability. This practice, the organisations stress, has no basis in EU or international law.
The letter further highlights that the negative impact of this detention regime is intensified by deteriorating living conditions. The population of the centre exceeded capacity for most of the period from late October 2024 to early February 2025, placing additional pressure on already limited resources and basic services. As a result, people have been accommodated in communal areas, sleeping on floors, including in kitchens and classrooms, often without mattresses, blankets or access to showers.
The organisations describe the state of residential and hygiene facilities as extremely concerning, citing broken floors, damaged or missing bathroom doors, malfunctioning plumbing and infestations of rodents and cockroaches. Persistent restrictions on running water and the absence of hot water in parts of the centre further undermine residents’ dignity and health. In November 2024, NGOs warned that the hygiene conditions “create an environment conducive to the spread of easily treatable diseases, such as scabies.”
The letter also recalls earlier findings, including Amnesty International’s July 2024 research documenting systematic unlawful and arbitrary detention and the disproportionate impact of inadequate living conditions on racialised asylum seekers, amounting to racial discrimination prohibited under international law. Greek and Samos‑based NGOs have likewise documented extensive violations since the CCAC opened. The organisations also refer to the 2022 European Ombudsman inquiry, which found that there was “room for improvement” in how the European Commission ensures that EU‑funded centres comply with human rights standards.
The signatories conclude that the continued use of de facto detention, combined with the sub‑standard living conditions that persist in the Samos CCAC, demonstrates that the EU has failed to ensure compliance with EU and international law. They call for urgent action to end routine arbitrary detention, address overcrowding, improve living conditions and protect the human rights of all residents.
These findings raise serious concerns about the failure of the Greek authorities to respect the country’s international and EU obligations regarding the reception, care and dignified living conditions of refugees.
More specifically, the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (Geneva Convention), which recognises the right to asylum, guarantees a series of rights for refugees in their country of residence, including the right to movable and immovable property (Article 13), freedom of association (Article 15), access to courts (Article 16), the right to work (Articles 17–19), social welfare (Article 20), housing (Article 21) and public education (Article 22), as well as freedom of movement (Article 26).
The Convention also prohibits the expulsion or refoulement of refugees (Article 33).
Under the rule of law, authorities must respect the rights of refugees during their reception and care, as guaranteed by national, EU and international law.
This letter to Commissioner Brunner, however, provides evidence of serious shortcomings and systematic violations of EU and international law by the Greek authorities in the reception of individuals entitled to asylum, despite the protections afforded by the 1951 Refugee Convention.
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