Javed Aslam's asylum has been revoked, there are no grounds for his protection in Greece

According to information, the procedure was followed as planned: the interested party submitted his memorandum, the Asylum Service re-examined his observations, which, according to sources in the Ministry of Immigration, it emphatically rejected, as it was deemed that “the reasons for which he was initially granted international protection in Greece no longer apply”.

With the delivery of the decision, the new cycle of the case opens: if he wishes, Javed Aslam can appeal to the Appeals Authority, so that the case can be judged in a second instance.

How the case unfolded

The first stage – as recorded in the initial report – began after the ministry was informed that, within two weeks, procedures for the revocation of international protection had been initiated for 33 citizens of third countries (Syria, Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, etc.).

The ministry had given the signal that the country was entering a period of “second reading” for cases that, for various reasons, remained in a protection status “despite the existence of aggravating data or shadows”, while, according to the report, Thanos Plevris is alleged to have given a clear order for a reexamination of cases where there is criminal involvement in any way.

In the same context, one more case stood out from the 33 mentioned above, when the asylum of a Palestinian who had been recorded on video causing an incident in the Athens metro, insulting an employee, was revoked.

These 33 cases were part of a broader effort that is ongoing and concerns the review of asylum for various categories of immigrants following the order of Thanos Plevris in July 2025 when he took over the portfolio. Approximately 125 such revocations were made last year, while according to recent statements by the Minister of Immigration, this number for the first half of 2026 alone will reach 1000. The corresponding number for the period 2013-2019 was only 19.

Who is Javed Aslam

Javed Aslam has been a well-known figure in the public debate on immigration for years. He has appeared repeatedly on television shows, has spoken out for Pakistanis living in Greece, and has commented on political and social choices, often in a way that has provoked reactions.

In the same context, his specific interventions are also recorded: from references to anti-racist mobilizations with phrases that fueled controversy, to positions on religious representation and the mosque in Votanikos, but also reports that he appears in a video discussing issues such as marriage between cousins ​​with reference to a religious context.

Interpol, extradition request and Mitarakis

Aslam has been in the care of the Greek authorities and the Justice Department due to his prosecution and charges that had been brought against him in Pakistan. Among other things, there was reference to a “red” warrant/mark and an extradition request, as well as to the fact that the Pakistani embassy in Greece maintained on its website an Interpol document (2015) that mentioned the most wanted persons and in which he himself was depicted.

The Greek judiciary had also unanimously rejected a request for his extradition to Pakistan. The administrative path of the case was also joined by the politically charged move of 2021: the former Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakis, had filed a request for annulment with the Athens Administrative Court of First Instance against the granting of asylum to Aslam – an effort that, as noted, did not reverse the situation at the time.