Politics

The Greek government will require migrants with rejected asylum claims to wear ankle monitors to accelerate deportations, Migration Minister Thanos Plevris announced Monday on state-run ERT radio. The measure, part of reforms criminalizing noncompliance with deportation orders, is set to take effect by year-end. The regulations, to be submitted to parliament next month, follow a delay caused by increased migrant arrivals from Libya to Crete. Migrants will face a 30-day compliance period post-rejection, enforced by electronic monitoring, with mandatory jail terms for noncompliance. A €2,000 ($2,300) deportation bonus is also under consideration for voluntary compliance. Greece’s conservative government has faced criticism from the Council of Europe and human rights groups for its stri...

Greece’s Migration Minister Thanos Plevris recently announced his intention to adopt new measures to silence criticism of the government’s migration policies.  The move, which came in the wake of a victory by civil society groups at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), is part of the Greek government’s broader assault on civil society and is likely to worsen the already hostile environment for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), particularly those working on migration. The government wants to silence the groups that are likely to report on the impact of harsh immigration measures, adopted in recent months. In early September, Greece’s government passed a draconian law that criminalizes migrants’ “illegal stay” and threatens rejected asylum seekers with two to five years in prison....

Greece's relationship with its Turkish neighbors has ranged from ambivalent to difficult for a very long time. As a rule, Turkey is viewed as an unpredictable and aggressive neighbor that Greece needs to protect itself against. That's part of the reason Athens spends 3% of its GDP on defense. At the same time, Turks are almost always given a warm welcome, whether as tourists or investors — especially when they are spending money on Greece's east Aegean islands, also known as the Dodecanese Islands, between Greece and Turkey. Not all that many tourists — domestic or foreign — tend to make it over here. In 2024, the number of ferry passengers from Turkey to Greece jumped to 1.5 million, up dramatically from 800,000 in 2023. The influx of Turks on the tiny island of Leros, for instance, fe...

A landmark court decision has dealt a blow to the far-right movement in Greece after MPs with the neo-fascist Spartans party were deprived of seats in parliament.Citing electoral fraud, a specially assembled electoral tribunal stripped three of the group’s lawmakers, including its leader, of their status in a move that, for the first time since the collapse of military rule, leaves Athens’ 300-seat parliament operating with just 297 MPs.In an unprecedented step, judges ruled that voters had been “deceived” in general elections two years ago because, although Vasilis Stigkas was described as the party leader, there was another person pulling the strings: Ilias Kasidiaris, an unrepentant neo-Nazi and former leader of the now disbanded Golden Dawn.Parties in Greece legally cannot run in elect...

The Origins of Afroditi Latinopoulou Afroditi Latinopoulou was born on April 29, 1991, in Thessaloniki, where she grew up in a family of secondary school teachers. On her mother’s side, her roots trace back to the border region of Evros — specifically the village of Vrysika near Didymoteicho — where her grandfather, Father Vlassis Mamasidis, served as parish priest for many years. Family Background and Early Life Raised in a large, traditional, and devout family, Afroditi grew up alongside her two younger brothers, Timos and Vlassis. Values such as homeland, religion, and family were central to her upbringing. Her grandfather’s strong influence connected her early on with both the religious traditions and the resilient spirit of Thrace. Tennis Career Afroditi Latinopoulo...

Stefanos Kasselakis, leader of the Democratic Movement, recently spoke in an interview with Crete TV, highlighting what he described as a significant issue in Greek politics: many gay individuals in Parliament and the government conceal their sexual orientation due to concerns about public perception and image.Kasselakis emphasized the need for renewal within the political system and stressed the importance of authenticity in public life. Reflecting on his personal connection to Crete, he expressed a desire to invest in the island, underlining the importance of maintaining strong ties to local communities while serving at a national level.He addressed critical issues affecting Greece, such as the management of OPEKEPE (the Agricultural Payments Organization), gun ownership, and the overall...

A new opinion poll by ALCO reveals growing dissatisfaction with Greece’s government, with support for the ruling New Democracy party slipping further while smaller parties edge upward.Public opinion on government performanceAccording to the survey, 38% of respondents said their view of the government remains “equally bad” following the prime minister’s announcements at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF). Another 31% said its image has become “worse,” while only 5% see improvement. About 20% described their view as “equally good.”When asked about government ministers, Defense Minister Nikos Dendias received the most positive evaluations, followed by Digital Governance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis.Dissatisfaction with government policiesThe poll also found that 70% of respondents wou...

Greek opposition leader Alexis Haritsis, president of the New Left party, has sharply criticized the government for remaining silent after Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir referred to detained Greek citizens — including a sitting Member of Parliament — as “terrorists.”The incident followed the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international solidarity mission carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. According to opposition parties, the flotilla was boarded by Israeli forces in international waters, with 27 Greek citizens among those detained, including MP Peti Perka of the New Left.Haritsis shared a video showing Ben-Gvir mocking the detainees as they sat on the ground, describing the scene as a humiliation for Greek citizens. “Mr. Mitsotakis, is it possible to rem...

Emerging from a protracted period of economic, political, and social crises, coupled with the refugee crisis, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' government, elected in July 2019, has sought to project an image internationally of a forward-thinking and modern administration capable of steering Greece towards a brighter future. However, huge question marks loom over this progressive image given the well-founded human rights concerns about domestic policies that do not respect human rights, stringent anti-immigration measures, repressive policing tactics, scandals, and attempts to stifle critical voices.These critical voices include journalists—particularly those working for independent media and foreign media outlets—activists, and civil society organizations. Journalists have become target...

The 12 former MPs of the Spartans party and the imprisoned former Golden Dawn MP, Ilias Kasidiaris, were unanimously acquitted of the charge of voter fraud, with the Three-Member Criminal Court of Athens issuing a new acquittal. This is the second time the Court has found the defendants not guilty of this specific offense - a similar decision was made at first instance. The case was retried after the Court of Appeals filed an ex officio appeal against the first-instance decision. Thus, the 12 former MPs and Ilias Kasidiaris returned to court, facing the same charges. The court, however, again ruled that the crime of voter fraud was not proven, resulting in a unanimous acquittal. The judicial investigation into the case began following an investigation by former Supreme Court prosecutor Geo...