HIAS Greece Wins Compensation for Falsely Accused Refugee Youth

Nearly six years ago, Europe’s largest refugee camp burned down. The Moria refugee camp hosted more than 12,000 people on the Greek island of Lesvos at the time it caught fire. Moria was notoriously overcrowded and unsafe.

“The Moria Reception and Identification Center was often described as a ‘living hell’,” said Vasia Katsiki, a HIAS Greece Staff Attorney. “Sanitation was inadequate, and safety was at risk. In fact, the European Court of Human Rights has convicted Greece due to the living conditions in Moria.”

Only a few days after the fire, six unaccompanied minors from Afghanistan who were living in Moria while awaiting a decision in their asylum cases, were arrested. They were falsely accused and wrongfully imprisoned and convicted as adults. At the time of their arrest, two of the boys were 17 and one was 15. The young men remained in adult detention facilities for three and a half years, despite their innocence.

“I spent five years in uncertainty in Greece, and three and a half of those years were spent in prison,” said Ali, an Afghan refugee and one of the young men falsely accused. “Because of this, my whole life was disrupted, and I lost five years of my life.”

Despite maintaining their innocence and age, the Greek authorities proceeded with trying the young men as adults and treating them like criminals. They were sentenced to ten years in prison for arson.

In March 2024, a Greek court granted their appeal recognizing that the refugees were minors at the time of their arrest, and they were released from prison while their case was moved to a juvenile court. One year later, in April 2025, the court dismissed the criminal charges and ruled that the young men had not committed the alleged crime.

“The domestic criminal justice system has significantly failed in its duty to properly administer justice, leaving three innocent minors to bear the catastrophic stigma of guilt for five years and violating many fundamental principles of our penal system,” Vasia said. “For half a decade, the system treated these youth as convicted criminals before ultimately clearing their names.”

Following their exoneration, three of the refugees were referred to HIAS Greece to pursue further legal action and seek damages for the miscarriage of justice that they faced. HIAS Greece requested compensation for the three young men due to their wrongful conviction and detention, as well as the material losses and moral damages they suffered.

“We focused on the harm that they endured as a result of this prolonged judicial ordeal, including serious negative psychosocial consequences to their personalities and to their lives,” Vasia said. “These consequences include a change in self-identity, damage to their reputations, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, isolation, strain on their relationships, an impact on their finances and employment, traumatic experiences while in custody, and adjustment difficulties.”

In March 2026, the Greek court sided with HIAS Greece and our clients, finally bringing the long nightmare to an end for Ali and Hassan, one of the other young refugees falsely accused.

“After the result, I was so happy that I cannot even describe it — like a bird finally set free from its cage,” shared Hassan. “I am truly grateful to HIAS. When no one was helping us, your organization supported us. You stood by us during a very difficult time. I will never forget your kindness.”

The court awarded 44,555 euros for the two young men who were 17 at the time of their arrest, and 50,090 euros for the 15-year-old. This was close to maximum that can be awarded in damages.

“The court process was good, but the compensation cannot bring my life back or make up for everything I lost,” shared Ali.

The three young men are all in the process now of rebuilding their lives. Hassan is seeking stability as a mechanic and wants to help others who need assistance. Ali similarly wants a peaceful life, as he is engaged and looking forward to starting a family. All three men received refugee status during their long ordeal and are free to finally begin anew in Europe.

“I want to sincerely thank every single person who helped me during these difficult times. I am deeply grateful to HIAS, to everyone who supported me, and especially to the lawyer who stood by me and helped me,” Ali shared. “In the future, I would be happy if I could also help people who are in need and show others that, by supporting one another, we can overcome difficulties together and make things better.”