A/HRC/25/50/Add.1 87. There has also been a rise in hate crimes and xenophobia against the country’s immigrant community, largely targeted in an attempt to find a scapegoat for the crisis.89 In April 2013, UNHCR, the National Commission for Human Rights and a coalition of 30 non-governmental organizations documented 154 incidents of racist violence in 2012 alone, of which 151 committed against refugees and migrants and three against European citizens. It is believed that most attacks were committed by members of extremist groups, and that only a fraction of all cases are actually documented.90 88. The Independent Expert is concerned at reports of the failure of the police to protect victims or to respond to such attacks and to investigate them diligently.91 He welcomes the establishment of 70 anti-racist police units throughout the country and the appointment of a special prosecutor responsible for the coordination and proper investigation of racist crimes by the prosecuting authorities as an important step to combat such incidents. He also welcomes the submission to the Hellenic Parliament on 20 November 2013 of a new law aimed at combatting racism and xenophobia (Amendment of law 927/1979). 89. Lastly, the enjoyment of human rights has been further undermined by the limited ability of public accountability bodies, such as the Greek Ombudsman and the National Commission for Human Rights, to respond adequately to human rights issues in the context of the economic crisis owing to insufficient funding for operations. Other barriers to access to justice include lengthy proceedings before civil and administrative courts, higher fees for initiating legal proceedings and inadequate funding for legal aid.92 The Independent Expert urges the Government of Greece to address these challenges as a matter of urgency and notes in this context that, on 12 February 2014, the Hellenic Parliament adopted a new law (4239/2014) aimed at providing fair satisfaction for exceeding the reasonable duration of proceedings in civil and criminal courts and in the Court of Audit. VI. Conclusions and recommendations 90. The adjustment programme and, in particular, the excessively rigid austerity measures implemented since May 2010 have exacted substantial economic and social costs for the Greek population. The programme has pushed the economy into recession, compromised the standard of living of the majority of the population and generally undermined the enjoyment of human rights in Greece. A large proportion of bailout loans has been used to pay off the banks that lent money recklessly to Greece, while increasing the country’s debt. Regrettably, the role of the State as provider of accessible public services has been subordinated to the increasingly elusive goal of restoring a sustainable public budget. 89 90 91 92 22 Ibid., pp. 28-29. See also “The Greek Ombudsman on incidents of racist violence”, press release, 3 July 2012, available from www.synigoros.gr/resources/press-release-on-racist-violence--2.pdf. UNHCR, Racist Violence Recording Network, 2012 annual report, available from www.unhcr.gr/1againstracism/en/2012-annual-report-of-the-racist-violence-recording-network/. See also the report by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights following his visit to Greece, Strasbourg 16 April 2003, CommDH(2013)6; Human Rights Watch, “Hate on the Streets. Xenophobic violence in Greece”, July 2012; and Amnesty International, “Police violence in Greece”, July 2012, pp. 17-23. Greek Ombudsman, “The phenomenon of racist violence”, special report, 25 September 2013 (available in Greek fromwww.synigoros.gr). According to the Ministry of Justice, some 4,000 applications are made annually for legal aid, 95 per cent of which is devoted to criminal matters.