© 2025 Nicolas Economou/ReutersThe Greek government has introduced an immigration bill with measures that explicitly link nongovernmental groups and humanitarian workers with criminal conduct, when in reality they are helping people in distress trying to reach Greece. The bill would amend the migration code to make membership in a nongovernmental group an aggravating factor for several existing offenses, with draconian penalties. By singling out and imposing harsher penalties on aid workers, the bill stigmatizes humanitarian work and could deter groups from providing life-saving support. Greece’s existing burdensome registration framework for nongovernmental groups, introduced in 2020, has been criticized by the Council of Europe and UN special rapporteurs. The bill also creates a new registry that would require the certification of all employees and volunteers of these groups.