Greece held 36 lone migrant children in police cells; Europe's court found it inhuman
Between 2019 and 2020 Greek authorities kept 36 unaccompanied migrant children, without appointed guardians, in police stations, the Amygdaleza pre-removal detention centre and the Malakasa camp under so-called 'protective custody' or administrative detention. On 19 June 2025 the European Court of Human Rights ruled in M.Y. and Others v. Greece that all 36 were held in inhuman or degrading conditions and unlawfully detained, and in a second judgment (A.I. and Others) found violations for three more children; it awarded EUR 3,000-3,900 per child after the Greek government argued that a finding of violation alone would be sufficient. The cases followed earlier rulings against Greece, including O.R. v. Greece in January 2024. Although 'protective custody' was abolished in December 2020, the Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner reported in April 2025 that unaccompanied children were still being held for prolonged periods in de facto detention, particularly in Samos.
the Court found that all 36 minors were held in conditions that amounted to inhuman and/or degrading treatment
The Government submitted that the potential finding of a violation would constitute sufficient just satisfaction.
unaccompanied children being held for prolonged periods in de facto detention in inadequate and overcrowded facilities, particularly in Samos
Before the court, the Greek government argued a finding of a violation would itself be sufficient just satisfaction.
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