Greece’s relevant migration and asylum minister on Tuesday announced that out of 104 investigated cases of third country nationals declaring themselves as minors, as part of asylum requests, 59 of the applicants were determined as being adults.

Minister Thanos Plevris made the announcement after a new, and stricter framework for determining if an asylum seeker is a minor was implemented in late August, following a joint ministerial decision by the migration and health ministries.

“Of the first 104 suspicious cases that were checked, 59 were deemed as adults, 10 were confirmed as minors, while the process of verification continues in the rest of the cases . The repercussions for those who filed a false statement are self-evident,” he said.

According to the joint announcement by the ministries last August, age assessment is determined “once and on the same day” using a combination of three methods: a medical assessment of physical development; a psychosocial assessment by a specialist, and an X-ray of the applicant’s left wrist to determine skeletal maturity.

In case of a discrepancy between the results, the X-ray assessment prevails.

The age evaluation is carried out only with the written consent of the asylum seeker or their legal representative. Refusal to undergo testing constitutes evidence of adulthood but does not prevent the examination of the application for international protection, the decision states.