what we do
LEARN ABOUT OUR WORK
our mission
The Human Rights Legal Project is a legal aid organisation defending the fundamental rights of people on the move in Greece, and seeking accountability for state criminality at the EU border.
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"We challenge the systemic and individual human rights abuses that fall outside of the asylum process, including the criminalisation of asylum seekers, pushbacks, arbitrary detention, and denial of access to healthcare."
our projects
The situation for displaced people on the Aegean islands has grown increasingly hostile. People face numerous barriers in their search for safety, and humanitarians are criminalised for assisting.
HRLP is committed to meeting the needs of these individual cases, while in parallel working to address the systemic failures of the Greek justice system and EU migration policy.
Challenging human rights violations
Unlike most legal aid organisations working in migration in Greece, we do not assist individuals in their asylum claims. We provide holistic legal support to empower the displaced community to access the justice system and realise their human rights. Our diverse casework includes unlawful detention, denial of access to healthcare, and public authority violence.
our approach
We work through three key approaches to deliver outcomes on our priorities and bring about change.
1. Casework
Driven by an open-door policy, we respond to all requests for legal assistance we receive that fall within our mandate. Our approach then depends on the individual situation, the needs arising and the degree of emergency. Since we work in close collaboration with partners, we direct and signpost right holders to appropriate organisation as needed.
2. Strategic Litigation
To catalyse systemic change, we pursue strategic litigation in national courts and bring selected cases to European and international courts and mechanisms. We engaged with, amongst others, Council of Europe bodies such as the Committee on the Prevention of Torture, the Group of Experts on Action Against Violance Against Women and Domestic Violence, and the European Court of Human Rights.
3. ADVOCACY
A key part of our work is to bear witness and deliver the voices of affected communities and survivors of border violence where they are most needed. To do so, we collect extensive data and testimonies on human rights violations and make sure they reach key stakeholders who advocate for change and influence policy at national and international level.
WORK WITH us
HRLP is a small organisation, challenging big power. We regularly post job openings, and welcome all applications from qualified candidates. Please note that HRLP is unable at this stage to sponsor visas for candidates who do not have the right to work in the EU.
If you have specific skills that could support our work remotely, and you would like to volunteer with us, please do get in touch.