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On Tuesday, 4th June, 2024, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg will hear a pivotal case concerning the treatment of asylum seekers by Greek officials. The case, filed by G.R.J., an unaccompanied Afghan minor, challenges the practice of "drift-backs" – the abandonment of asylum seekers at sea in inflatable rafts – a method first reported in 2020.

Irish Centre for Human Rights researcher, Dr Niamh Keady-Tabbal will represent G.R.J. alongside Flip Schüller of Prakken d’Oliveira and Sadhia Rafi of the Dutch Council for Refugees. The case highlights the alleged abduction and summary expulsion of G.R.J. from the Greek island of Samos in 2020. This significant legal challenge, supported by de:border // migration justice collective and the Global Legal Action Network, marks the first time the European Court will examine Greece's controversial "drift-back" practice.

In September 2020, G.R.J. arrived on Samos with 17 other asylum seekers. Despite seeking refuge at the Vathy camp, he and another unaccompanied minor were reportedly abducted by Greek officials, who confiscated their belongings and forced them onto a vessel. Abandoned in a motorless raft at sea, the minors paddled with their hands until rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard. Following their rescue, they faced detention in Turkey without any support.

The case, filed in March 2021, argues that Greece's actions violated multiple rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, including the right to life, the prohibition of torture, and the right to an effective remedy.