Submission by UNHCR in the case of J.R and Others v. Greece (Appl. No 22696/16) before the European Court of Human Rights

UNHCR considers that the detention of asylum-seekers should be a measure of last resort, with liberty being the default position. Furthermore, where it is applied, detention of asylum-seekers should be justified according to the principles of necessity, reasonableness and proportionality, and subject to a series of important legal standards and procedural safeguards.