Arash, no asylum card, no social rights

After a pushback and two years of homelessness and poor health, Arash eventually managed to get a job and access to medical care in Greece. However, after two asylum rejections, he lost his right to work and social security.

“Arash, no asylum card, no social rights” is part of the series “Lost in a legal maze: 10+1 stories of asylum seekers in Europe”. This video series explores – perhaps for the first time – the legal difficulties and the legal pitfalls faced by asylum seekers in Greece and Europe, within a legal system designed to fail them. Eleven people at different stages of the asylum procedure talk to the camera about their own cases, revealing with their testimonies the lack of coherence in asylum policy, the high degree of arbitrariness and a systematic attempt to discourage them.

Produced by Heinrich Böll Stiftung – Thessaloniki Office, in collaboration with Equal Legal Aid and directed by Sideris Nanoudis of HomoLudens Productions.

First screening: 13 May 2024, Thessaloniki, Greece