The 27-year-old Bangladeshi man who last June used social media videos to urge his compatriots to travel illegally to Nafplio was deported today, after assuring them that they would not face police checks or deportation.

According to reports, the administrative process for his removal has been completed, and a charter flight has also taken place, taking him from Athens back to Bangladesh alongside 50 other Bangladeshi nationals. His deportation followed the rejection of his third consecutive asylum application, with all the prescribed procedures having now been exhausted.

According to the same sources, the 27-year-old was legally represented by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) operating in the field of migration. Two lawyers attempted, through legal action, to secure his right to remain in the country, despite the successive rejections of his applications.

For the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, the outcome carries particular symbolic significance, as it is seen as demonstrating in practice the state’s ability to complete return procedures, even in cases where attempts are made to prolong an individual’s stay through successive applications and appeals.

As sources familiar with the matter point out, for the Minister of Migration and Asylum, Thanos Plevris, the case “is a typical example of the policy implemented by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, with the aim of preventing foreign nationals from remaining in the country in cases where the competent authorities have definitively determined that the legal requirements for doing so are not met”.

The video that prompted Plevris to intervene

The case came to public attention in late June, when the 27-year-old appeared in a video filmed in Nafplio, urging illegal immigrants to travel to the area, even without legal documents. He claimed that jobs were available in the area, while assuring his compatriots that the police would not carry out checks, even if they remained in the country without papers for decades.

The video prompted an immediate reaction from Thanos Plevris, who pointed out that such posts spread false messages about the country’s migration policy and could be exploited by human trafficking networks to attract illegal migrants to the European Union.

Following the video’s publication, the Hellenic Police identified the man and opened a case file against him, while the Minister of Migration and Asylum ordered proceedings to be initiated to revoke his residence permit and remove him from the country.

On 26 June, the revocation of his residence permit was announced, with the competent authorities proceeding with the subsequent steps required under the law.

The third asylum application and the NGO lawyers’ intervention

What gives the case additional significance is the successive submission of applications for international protection. According to reports, the 27-year-old had gone as far as submitting a third asylum application, which was also rejected.

Meanwhile, an NGO operating in the field took on his legal representation and continued its efforts to secure his right to remain in Greece until the very last moment.

Exercising the legal rights provided for under the relevant procedures is part of the asylum process, even if, from the government’s perspective, such actions are regarded as attempts to prolong an individual’s stay in the country.

The Nafplio case forms part of the government’s broader strategy to tighten migration policy, with an emphasis on faster examination of asylum applications, curbing abusive procedures and increasing actual returns.

According to figures for the first half of 2026, total returns reached 2,638, compared with 2,207 during the corresponding period in 2025, representing an increase of 20%. The rise in forced deportations was even greater, with the figure reaching 1,292, up from 915, an increase of 41%.

Another significant instrument is the stricter legislative framework governing illegal entry and stay, which allows foreign nationals, subject to the prescribed conditions, to opt for return to their country of origin instead of serving a prison sentence.

At the same time, cooperation with countries of origin on the readmission of their nationals is being strengthened, while Greece is participating in European planning for new return mechanisms.