Athens pushes back against US rights report

A shadow has been cast over the otherwise good Greek-American relationship by the US State Department's report on the state of human rights in Greece in 2023, where, among other things, there is reference to allegations of mistreatment of migrants and asylum seekers, members of the LGBTQI+ community, and to the previous year's complaints about the wiretapping case.

The report drew a vehement response from Athens, with the Foreign Ministry lamenting that it records, “without further investigation, allegations made by nongovernmental organizations, none of which has been subjected to independent scrutiny.” It added that the report's integrity, reliability and objectivity has been compromised by the fact that the Greek state was not asked for its opinion on the issues mentioned.

“While progress in the protection of rights in Greece is acknowledged at many levels, the report overlooks or completely ignores regulatory interventions and national strategies of recent years aimed at securing the rights of vulnerable groups of citizens, such as people with disabilities, LGBTQI individuals, and unaccompanied minors,” it stressed. The report emphasized that there have been no significant changes in the human rights situation in Greece over the past year, noting “significant human rights issues included credible reports of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment of prison detainees and of migrants and asylum seekers by law enforcement authorities; crimes involving violence targeting members of national, racial or ethnic minority groups; and crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex persons.”

Although the report acknowledges government efforts, it referred to “failures to effectively investigate allegations of forced returns of asylum seekers and to hold those responsible to account.”