The case concerned the treatment of unaccompanied minor asylum seekers in Greece. The applicants challenged the conditions of their reception and accommodation, pointing to poor hygiene, overcrowding, inadequate access to education and mental-health support, and the lack of legal guardianship and oversight appropriate for vulnerable minors.
The Court found that Greece had violated multiple provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights: a) Article 3 (Prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment): The living conditions and lack of attention to vulnerable children’s needs constituted inhuman and degrading treatment, b) Article 5 (Right to liberty and security): The minors were subjected to de facto detention without legal safeguards or justification, c) Article 8 (Right to respect for private and family life): Authorities failed in their positive obligations to protect the minors’ emotional well-being and education, d) Article 13 (Right to an effective remedy): No accessible remedies were accessible for children to challenge their conditions of detention, e) Article 14 (Prohibition of discrimination): The differential treatment of unaccompanied minors compared to adults or accompanied minors amounted to discrimination. The Court ordered Greece to pay just satisfaction to the applicants.
Read the full decision here.