Authorities have launched proceedings to revoke the asylum status of Javed Aslam, head of the Pakistani community in Athens, as part of a broader government review of international protection cases, according to reports Monday.
Aslam, who has led the Pakistani Unity Organization since the mid-2000s, has lived in Greece for roughly three decades. During that time, he has been active in advocacy on labor rights, anti-racism initiatives, and immigration issues, frequently appearing in Greek media and public demonstrations. He has occasionally made statements that have drawn criticism from conservative circles, such as during an anti-racist rally when he said, “Migrants also have hands, and they can raise them – and at some point, in response to the threats they face, they can fight back.” In 2007, Greece’s Council of Appeals Court judges unanimously rejected a request by Pakistan to extradite him to Islamabad on human-trafficking charges.
The move follows a directive by Migration Minister Thanos Plevris to reassess asylum files, the same reports said. The Migration Ministry said Monday that in the past two weeks alone it had initiated procedures to revoke asylum for 33 third-country nationals from countries including Syria, Pakistan, Egypt and Iraq.
Under the process, Greece’s Asylum Service has notified Aslam of the planned revocation and given him 15 working days to submit written objections before a final decision is issued, in line with the law, according to the reports. If he contests the decision, he can file an appeal, and the case will be reviewed at a second instance.
The ministry said the action forms part of a stricter policy line pursued in recent years. Official data show that between 2013 and 2020 only 19 international protection statuses were revoked, compared with 583 between 2021 and 2025. Authorities say an additional 47 cases have already been launched in 2026.
In 2025 alone, 196 revocations were recorded – far exceeding the total for the entire 2013–2020 period.
According to the ministry, asylum may be withdrawn if a person is deemed a threat to national security, considered a danger to society following a final criminal conviction, or if conditions in their country of origin have changed significantly so that protection is no longer justified.