Communicated cases against Greece (application no. 19614/20) and the Netherlands (application no. 64534/19)

Monday, January 18, 2021
  • A.B v Greece (application no. 19614/20) concerns the living conditions of a pregnant woman in the Pyli hotspot on the island of Kos. The ECtHR asks the parties whether, taking into account the applicant’s vulnerability as a pregnant woman, there has been a violation of Article 3 and/or Article 8 ECHR on account of her living conditions in and around Pyli hotspot on Kos island?
  • Abdi Ali Mahamud v the Netherlands (application no. 64534/19) concerns a request for family reunion lodged by a Somali national living in the Netherlands on behalf of his brother. The applicant applied for a provisional residence permit and submitted that “more than the normal emotional ties” existed between them, as his brother and their mother had lived with him and his children since 1992. His nine children and a foster child received provisional residence visas, and his brother was the only person left behind after the death of his mother. The applicant and his brother always considered each other like father and son, and they are in daily contact. His brother suffered from medical problems that made him unable to go to school or work and he receives financial and emotional support from the applicant. The authorities rejected the application, finding that there were no indications that his brother was “exclusively dependent” on the applicant and that “more than the normal emotional ties” had not been established. The applicant complains, under Article 8 ECHR, that the denial of family reunion violates his right to respect for his family life.


Family member
Family reunification
Family unity (right to)
Inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
Reception conditions
Vulnerable person